Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33595339›Full record

ArticleDementia (London, England)2021

Experiences of people with memory disorders and their spouse carers on influencing formal care: "They ask my wife questions that they should ask me".

Mari S Aaltonen, Anne Martin-Matthews, Jutta M Pulkki, Päivi Eskola, Outi H Jolanki

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Dementia (London, England), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Mari S AaltonenFaculty of Social Sciences, (Health Sciences), and Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), 7840Tampere University, Finland; Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6620-4968
Anne Martin-MatthewsDepartment of Sociology and Office of the Vice-President, Health, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Jutta M PulkkiFaculty of Social Sciences, (Health Sciences), and Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), 7840Tampere University, Finland.
Päivi EskolaFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Gerontology Research Center (GEREC) and Open University, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Outi H JolankiFaculty of Social Sciences, Health Sciences, and Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), 7840Tampere University, Finland; Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, 4168University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Tampere University · FIUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Jyväskylä · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPeople with memory disorders often need care and help from family carers and health and social care providers. Due to the deterioration of cognitive capacity and language skills, they may be unable to convey their thoughts and care preferences to other people. As a result, their agency may become restricted. We investigated the descriptions provided by people with memory disorders and spousal carers of their influence on care in encounters with formal care providers.

methodsQualitative thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze, and report themes that describe encounters with professionals in different social or healthcare environments. In-depth interview data were gathered from 19 spouse carers and 15 persons with memory disorders.

findingsThree themes out of four describe how people with memory disorders and their spouse carers influence formal care: Acquiescence, negotiating care decisions, and taking control. The fourth theme describes lack of influence. People with memory disorders and their spouse carers have ways to influence care, but spouse carers identified more ways of doing so. Both either accepted and followed the care guidelines by the formal carers or took control of the situation and made their own decisions. Spouse carers also sought to influence care decisions through negotiations with formal carers. When formal carers' decisions were experienced as inconsistent or the rationale of their actions difficult to follow, the possibilities to influence care were limited.

conclusionsPeople with memory disorders and their family carers are often in a disadvantaged position as they lack power over the health and social care decision-making during the illness, which is often guided by structural factors. To support the agency of people with memory disorders and to promote shared decision-making, clarification of the service structure and clearer communication between the different parties involved in care are required.

Indexed as

DementiaSpousesCaregiversHumansMemory DisordersQualitative ResearchSocial Supportagencyfamily careformal careinformal carememory disorder

Identifiers

PMID33595339
PMCPMC8564245
OpenAlexW3131291443

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.