Care needs assessment of older Chinese individuals with dementia of Hong Kong

Abstract

Using the Care Needs Assessment Pack for Dementia (CarenapD), the care needs of older Hong Kong Chinese individuals with dementia were investigated in the present study. A convenience sample of 197 community-dwelling older adults with dementia, with a mean age of 77, was examined. Among the participants, 71 were classified with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 1 (mild impairment), 100 with a CDR score of 2 (moderate impairment), and 26 with a CDR score of 3 (severe impairment). CarenapD, consisting of 57 activity/behavioural items, was used to evaluate the status of care needs as ‘No’, ‘Met’ or ‘Unmet’ in seven domains of functioning. The results suggested that the care needs of participants with increasing severity of cognitive impairment became diversified and evident in activities related to complex and instrumental daily living tasks, social interaction, thinking and memory, and behaviour and mental state. Unmet care needs were identified in 10 items that are mainly associated with social interaction, memory, and mental state. Formal service providers are suggested to formulate support services that are appropriate to address the care needs for persons with dementia and family carers.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the Keswick Foundation for supporting this study, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, to investigate the care needs of older Hong Kong Chinese people with dementia. My sincere thanks to Gemma Wong, Edwin Yu, Milly Yu, Teresa Tsien, David Dai, and Elsie Chung for their continual support and contributions to this study; Christine Siu for her assistance in the whole project; the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease Association for trusting me to take the lead in this project; and last but not least, all older individuals with dementia and their families who participated in this study.