Special Article Published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (JAMDA)
Wagner, L. M., Van Haitsma, K. , Kolanowski, A., & Spetz, J.
“PCC is characterized by shared decision-making between the individual and relevant providers where the person’s values and preferences guide aspects of their health care and support the person’s health and life goals.”
Person-centered care (PCC) is the standard for the delivery of long-term services and supports (LTSS) to people living with dementia. In this new article, Kimberly VanHaitsma, PhD, Preference Based Living co-founder, and colleagues review the state of the science on meaningful outcomes and workforce development in PCC, and discuss what is needed to ensure that person-centered LTSS becomes a universal reality. The article emphasizes the need to develop pragmatic measures to assess the quality of dementia care, along with training matched to desired quality outcomes.
The authors propose 11 top research priorities to improve dementia care, including:
- Develop person-centered outcome measures — informed by the perspective of people living with dementia; holistic; strength-based; and practical.
- Develop training for direct care workers to identify competencies that lead to improved health, quality of life, and social outcomes.
- Analyze the impact of race and ethnic diversity of the workforce, caregivers and clients – focus on approaches that promote cultural humility, cultural competence, and communication skills.
- Identify best practices that support the dementia care workforce — such as adequate staffing levels, compensation and supportive work environments.
Read the full, Open Access article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2021.05.003