Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the cognitive symptoms that HCPs find difficult to manage in dementia patients, and the strategies that they report using when patients exhibit these symptoms.
Subjects and Methods: One hundred thirty-three HCPs (ie, nurses, therapists, dieticians, social workers) in 7 GRUs in Ontario, Canada, completed a questionnaire focused on the frequency of cognitive symptoms that persons with dementia experienced after hip fracture surgery and on the strategies HCPs used to manage these symptoms.
Results: The data collected indicate that HCPs perceived patients' memory impairment, lack of insight, and lack of ability to carry out purposeful movement to be the main symptoms that interfere with their ability to rehabilitate patients. Fifty percent of nursing staff and 100% of allied HCPs listed strategies they used when patients exhibited these cognitive symptoms. Strategies staff used when patients displayed cognitive symptoms included providing visual and verbal reminders, adjusting the environment and routines, and offering consistent routines and supervision.
Conclusions: The findings from this study indicate that HCPs on GRUs caring for patients with cognitive impairment who have had a hip fracture frequently encounter cognitive symptoms that hinder their care delivery. Rehabilitation staff require knowledge about how to assess patients for the presence of cognitive symptoms and about strategies for dealing with these symptoms when they are present.