Abstract
Older adults with dementia are particularly vulnerable to negative outcomes and adverse events when they transition between healthcare settings such as being discharged from the hospital. However, little is known about how healthcare providers help patients prepare for a care transition – known as transitional care – among older adults with dementia. Therefore, this study sought to understand the transitional care currently delivered by hospital healthcare providers to older adults with dementia, how it compared to that received by older adults without dementia, and how it varied across different patient and provider characteristics. Guided by key provider/informant interviews and theory, a medical chart review of older adults with dementia was conducted. Results revealed that while some transitional care actions, such as discharge planning, are delivered to a majority of patients other actions such as patient education are delivered only to a minority. Future research should assess whether this variation is associated with outcomes such as hospital readmission and patient and caregiver satisfaction.
Committee Chair
Enola Proctor
Committee Members
Christopher Carpenter, Vanessa Fabbre, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Margaret Olsen,
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Author's Department
Social Work
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2017
Language
English (en)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/K7HD7T4D
Recommended Citation
Prusaczyk, Patricia, "Transitional Care for Older Adults with Dementia: Variation Across Patients and Providers" (2017). Arts & Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 1083.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/K7HD7T4D
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7HD7T4D