Care givers experiences of caring for people with intellectual disability and dementia: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Abstract

© [insert the copyright line of the published article]. This AAM is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale, reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, or for any other commercial purpose without the permission of the publisherPurpose A systematic review of the literature was completed to examine the needs of those who provide care to people with intellectual disability and dementia. The purpose was to develop an understanding of the complexities, challenges, and support available to meet the needs of an ageing population. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative evidence synthesis was used to appraise 12 studies. An evidence synthesis approach was used to better understand the challenges care givers experience in caring for a person with intellectual disability and dementia. Aggregating and integrating findings from multiple studies allowed to identify inconsistencies, quality, relationships, and trends to enhance the awareness of gaps in care provision. Findings There were six main domains identified from the available literature which included; 1) caring for older adults with intellectual disability Gaps in knowledge and skills 2) limitation in knowledge of ageing and dementia Early identification of dementia and associated difficulties 3) coping strategies Managing behaviour, 4) identifying dementia coping, 5) burden of care managing changes in behaviour, 6) Impact on confidence burden of care. Originality. This is the first paper to use qualitative evidence synthesis to understand the challenges of caring for a person with intellectual disability and dementia