This site uses cookies to measure how you use the website so it can be updated and improved based on your needs and also uses cookies to help remember the notifications you’ve seen, like this one, so that we don’t show them to you again. If you could also tell us a little bit about yourself, this information will help us understand how we can support you better and make this site even easier for you to use and navigate.

Management of apathy in nursing homes using a teaching program for care staff: the STIM-EHPAD study

Authors

Leone, Elsa, Deudon, Audrey, Bauchet, Murielle, Laye, Mathilde, Bordone, Nathalie, Lee, Ji-Hyun, Piano, Julie, Friedman, Leah, David, Renaud, Delva, Fleur, Brocker, Patrice, Yesavage, Jerome, Robert, Philippe Henri

Journal

International Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry, Volume: 28, No.: 4, Pages.: 383-392

Year of Publication

2013

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing home (NH) staff education to manage apathy in older individuals with a diagnosis of dementia.; Methods: Sixteen NHs agreed to participate, and 230 demented apathetic residents were randomly assigned to the reference group (RG) or the intervention group (IG). IG received a month of weekly 4-h training. Qualitative evaluation was performed through interviews and questionnaires regarding work practices and knowledge about dementia. Quantitative evaluation was at baseline, at the end of the training program (week 4), and 3 months after the end of it with the use of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Apathy Inventory, and two observation scales.; Results: In the qualitative evaluation, very few staff responded to the questionnaire. Concerning the difficulty that managing residents’ behavioral symptoms presented, aggressiveness was ranked as the most difficult behavior to manage and apathy as the least difficult. In the quantitative evaluation, the results are as follows. NPI: the IG scores increased from baseline to week 4 more than the RG for symptoms belonging to the affective and the psychotic NPI item subgroup. Apathy Inventory: there was a significant decrease of the emotional blunting score dimension in the IG. Group Observation Scale: significant improvement was observed for the emotional blunting dimension in the IG only.; Conclusions: Apathy is rarely identified as a problem in NH. Emotional blunting was the only dimension sensitive to change. Failure to improve residents’ level of interest could be explained by the difficulties encountered in accessing information regarding the subjects’ personal interests. But it remains possible to modify residents’ emotional reactivity and staff’s perceptions of residents’ behaviors and emotions.; Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bibtex Citation

@article{Leone_2012, doi = {10.1002/gps.3836}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gps.3836}, year = 2012, month = {jun}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, volume = {28}, number = {4}, pages = {383--392}, author = {Elsa Leone and Audrey Deudon and Murielle Bauchet and Mathilde Laye and Nathalie Bordone and Ji-Hyun Lee and Julie Piano and Leah Friedman and Renaud David and Fleur Delva and Patrice Brocker and Jerome Yesavage and Philippe Henri Robert}, title = {Management of apathy in nursing homes using a teaching program for care staff: the {STIM}-{EHPAD} study}, journal = {Int J Geriatr Psychiatry} }

Keywords

aged, aged, 80 and over, apathy, dementia, education, female, geriatric nursing, health knowledge attitudes practice, humans, male, nursing, nursing homes, nursing staff, program evaluation, psychology, qualitative research, questionnaires

Countries of Study

France

Types of Dementia

Dementia (general / unspecified)

Types of Study

Randomised Controlled Trial

Type of Outcomes

Behaviour

Settings

Nursing Homes

Type of Interventions

Workforce oriented interventions

Workforce Interventions

Professional Training / Continuing Professional Development