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Original Articles

Is socially integrated community day care for people with dementia associated with higher user satisfaction and a higher job satisfaction of staff compared to nursing home-based day care?

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Pages 624-633 | Received 20 Jun 2015, Accepted 14 Jan 2016, Published online: 12 Feb 2016
 

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To investigate whether community-based (CO) day care with carer support according to the proven effective Meeting Centres Support Programme model is associated with higher satisfaction of people with dementia (PwD) and their informal caregivers (CG) and with a higher job satisfaction among care staff compared to traditional nursing home-based (NH) day care.

Method: Data were collected in 11 NH day care centres and 11 CO day care centres. User satisfaction of PwD and CG was evaluated in the 11 NH day care centres (nPwD = 41, nCG = 39) and 11 CO day care centres (nPwD = 28, nCG = 36) with a survey after six months of participation. Job satisfaction was measured only in the six NH day care centres that recently transformed to CO day care, with two standard questionnaires before (nSTAFF = 35), and six months after the transition (nSTAFF = 35).

Results: PwD were more positive about the communication and listening skills of staff and the atmosphere and activities at the CO day care centre. Also, CG valued the communication with, and expertise of, staff in CO day care higher, and were more satisfied with the received emotional, social and practical support. After the transition, satisfaction of staff with the work pace increased, but satisfaction with learning opportunities decreased.

Conclusion: PwD and CG were more satisfied about the communication with the staff and the received support in CO day care than in NH day care. Overall job satisfaction was not higher, except satisfaction about work pace.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all participants in this study and the staff of the day care centres for their cooperation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funders of this study were ZonMw National Elderly Care Program [project no. 314080401], Foundation of Support VCVGZ, Noaber Foundation, Foundation RCOAK, Foundation VitaValley, Foundation Sint Jacob and the Anna Elizabeth Foundation.