Person-centered goal setting is feasible in people with Parkinson’s disease who have subjective cognitive decline: a mixed methods study

Abstract

Purpose

Evaluate the feasibility of person-centered goal setting in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who have subjective cognitive decline and explore characteristics of the formulated goals.

Materials and methods

Participants completed person-centered goal setting as a part of two cognitive intervention studies. Participants were guided to develop at least three goals and rate the importance of each goal using a 10-point scale (1: not at all important − 10: extremely important). To evaluate the feasibility of person-centered goal setting, we calculated the mean number of formulated goals per person and the importance level of all goals. To explore goal characteristics, two independent authors coded all goals and synthesized them using deductive content analysis in consultation with the senior author.

Results

Thirty participants formulated a total of 166 goals. The mean number of formulated goals per participant was 5.53 (SD = 2.22, range = 3 − 10). The mean importance level of all formulated goals was 8.3 (SD = 1.49, range = 4 − 10). Formulated goals ranged across diverse domains and categories.

Conclusions

Person-centered goal setting is feasible to guide people with PD to formulate personally meaningful goals. Findings highlight the diverse cognitive rehabilitation needs of people with PD, potential cognitive rehabilitation priorities, and future goal setting research directions.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Rehabilitation clinicians and researchers should not assume that people with PD who have subjective cognitive decline are not capable of engaging in their goal setting.

• Rehabilitation clinicians and researchers should acknowledge and act on our responsibility to enable people with PD who have subjective cognitive decline to engage in goal setting.

• Rehabilitation clinicians and researchers are encouraged to explore diverse goal domains to optimize goal setting and rehabilitation care among people with PD who have subjective cognitive decline.

Keywords:

• Goals
• goal-setting
• patient-centered care
• Parkinson’s disease
• rehabilitation
• cognitive dysfunction
• mixed methods
• client centered therapy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by NIH [K23HD071059, R21AG063974], the American Occupational Therapy Foundation [AOTF/AOTA Intervention Research Grant, AOTFIRG13], the Greater St. Louis APDA Chapter, and the APDA Center for Advanced PD Research at Washington University in St. Louis. This work was supported by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institute on Aging; American Parkinson Disease Association Center for Advanced PD research at Washington University in St. Louis; St. Louis American Parkinson Disease Association.