'They rush you and push you too much … and you can't really get any good response off them': A qualitative examination of family involvement in care of people with dementia in acute care.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the role and needs of the family carer across different acute care contexts and their level of involvement in the care of their relative with dementia in this setting.


METHODS
A pragmatic, exploratory-descriptive qualitative approach. A convenience sample of 30 family carers across three sites completed semi-structured interviews.


RESULTS
Family carers wanted to be involved in the acute care of their family member with dementia. They acknowledged the importance of a central source of information, educated staff, guidelines on roles and processes, and positive communication, as well as respect from staff for the carer's knowledge of the older person and their needs. They also highlighted the need for medical staff to discuss with them the family member's treatment and care.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for family-focused interventions to improve communication and involvement of family in the care of family members with dementia in the acute setting.
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Wendy
W
Moyle
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Marguerite
M
Bramble
Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Michael
M
Bauer
Tropical Health Research Unit for Nursing and Midwifery Practice, The Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Wendy
W
Smyth
Dementia Collaborative Research Centre-Carers and Consumers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Elizabeth
E
Beattie
D022126:Access to Information; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004644:Emotions; D005195:Family Relations; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support
dementia; family caregiver; hospital service; qualitative research; relationship-centred care