Effects of Humanitude care on people with dementia and caregivers: A scoping review

Abstract

Aims and Objectives This study aimed to comprehensively review the research literature to provide an overview of the effects of Humanitude on people with dementia and their caregivers. Background Humanitude is a relationship‐centred and compassionate care approach that focuses on improving the communication between people with dementia and their caregivers. There is a lack of updated and comprehensive synthesis on the evidence of the effects of Humanitude in dementia care. Design and Methods This paper adopted the scoping review framework by Arksey and O'Malley. We searched through the following databases: Pubmed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Scopus and Web of Science from its inception to 3 September 2021. Three investigators independently screened the titles and abstracts and assessed the full‐text articles for eligibility. The PRISMA‐ScR checklist was included in this scoping review. Results We retrieved 1317 articles from databases and grey sources. Eleven studies were included after the screening. The synthesised results suggest that Humanitude can reduce agitation and psychological symptoms and improve the general well‐being of people with dementia. Humanitude also has positive effects in improving care communication, empathy, job satisfaction and reducing burnout among caregivers. Conclusion Humanitude shows the potential for positive effects on people with dementia and their caregivers. However, most studies did not include a comparator group and could not provide rigorous findings as compared to randomised controlled trials. There is a need for randomised controlled studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of Humanitude on people with dementia and their caregivers. Relevance for Clinical Practice This paper reviewed the literature on all types of publications that examine the use of Humanitude in people with dementia and their caregivers. Thus, it provided an up‐to‐date overview of the effects of Humanitude to inform clinical practice.

Behavioral and neural underpinnings of empathic characteristics in a Humanitude-care expert

“…It may be difficult to implement natural facial mimicry deliberately, which is rapid ( 103 ) and automatic ( 104 , 105 ). We speculate that, as Humanitude techniques are designed to create and maintain compassionate and respectful relationships between caregivers and people with dementia ( 2 , 8 ), repeated Humanitude-care experience may develop empathic behavioral and neural characteristics in caregivers. In the general clinical care literature, several studies have found that empathic traits in caregivers generally produced good patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction and improved cholesterol levels [e.g., ( 106 ); for reviews, see ( 107 , 108 )].…”

“…This methodology facilitates gentle, positive interaction with patients with dementia ( 3 ) using more than 150 social skills, such as looking at them face-to-face ( 4 , 5 ). Several studies have shown that Humanitude care effectively reduces behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in patients [e.g., ( 6 , 7 ); for a review, see ( 8 )]. Furthermore, studies showed that the experiences of Humanitude caregivers enhance empathy [i.e., the ability to respond emotionally to and understand others’ emotions ( 9 )] ( 10 , 11 ).…”

Effect of multimodal comprehensive communication skills training with video analysis by artificial intelligence for physicians on acute geriatric care: a mixed-methods study

“…18 A previous review article demonstrated that this methodology has positive effects on people with dementia and their caregivers, including healthcare professionals and family caregivers. 20 …”

“…To address these challenges regarding communication with elderly patients or patients with dementia, previous studies have shown that multimodal communication skills for healthcare workers are effective in geriatric care because humans use both verbal and non-verbal modes to communicate 15–17. The French care methodology of Gineste and Marescotti, called Humanitude, has been applied extensively in several settings, including hospitals and nursing homes in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Deutschland and Belgium) and Asia (Singapore, South Korea and Japan) over the last 40 years 18–20. This methodology is a multimodal, comprehensive communication technique that uses a humanist philosophy that highlights respect for individual liberty, autonomy and dignity.…”

“…Specifically, caregivers should always use at least two of the following three modes of communication simultaneously: face-to-face interaction, verbal communication and touch interaction 18. A previous review article demonstrated that this methodology has positive effects on people with dementia and their caregivers, including healthcare professionals and family caregivers 20…”