Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

Savundranayagam, Marie

Abstract

Personal support workers (PSW) play a primary role caring for persons living with dementia (PLWD). Policies guide PSW to provide quality dementia home care. This study aimed to explore PSW perspectives on providing quality home care for PLWD in comparison to Ontario home care policies. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze fifteen interviews with PSW and six Ontario policy documents. Alignments included: interprofessional care team approach; dementia-specific education and training for PSW; accessible services, information and education for PLWD and family caregivers; and increasing the respect and supports PSW receive from employers. Differences included: PSW emphasizing person-centred care and specific PSW experiences, abilities and characteristics that help deliver quality dementia home care. Importantly, what PSW perceive as quality home care does not match their experiences. Study findings contribute to limited research on quality dementia home care, highlighting the importance of incorporating PSW perspectives when developing and implementing Ontario policies.

Summary for Lay Audience

There is a global need for sustainable healthcare systems that can effectively and efficiently provide quality dementia care given the expected rise in the prevalence of dementia. This is combined with a large demand for home care because of the amount of people wanting to live at home for as long as possible. Formal caregivers, such as personal support workers (PSW), play a primary role in the direct formal care of persons living with dementia (PLWD). Further, the policies that guide PSW’ ability to provide quality dementia home care can have great impacts on the care provided. The goals of this research are to explore the perspectives PSW have in providing quality home care for PLWD and to compare them to the current Ontario home care policies. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze transcripts from fifteen interviews with PSW and six Ontario policy documents and to understand how quality dementia home care was discussed. Results from the study showed that areas of alignment between the PSW and policy documents included: interprofessional care team approach; dementia-specific education and training for PSW; accessible services, information and education for PLWD and family caregivers; and increasing the respect and supports PSW receive from their employers. Differences included: PSW emphasizing person-centred care and specific PSW experiences, abilities and characteristics that help PSW to deliver quality dementia home care. Additionally, it was found that what PSW perceive as quality home care for PLWD does not always match their experiences in home care. The areas of consistencies between the PSW’ perspectives and the provincial policy documents suggest that these areas reflect enough alignment to aid in the provision of quality dementia home care. However, the areas of differences also need to be considered as they suggest that policies need to be revised and implemented fully to ensure the provision of quality home care to all PLWD in Ontario. Ultimately, the study findings contribute to the limited amount of research on perspectives of quality dementia home care by highlighting the importance of incorporating the perspectives of PSW in the development and implementation of Ontario home care policies.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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