The Special Care Unit for People with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (SCU- B) in the Context of the Project “RECage-Respectful Caring for Agitated Elderly”: A Qualitative Study

Anna Giulia Guazzarini, Georgia Casanova (), Friederike Buchholz, Mahi Kozori, Sara Lavolpe, Bjørn Lichtwarck, Eleni Margioti, Aline Mendes, Marie-Louise Montandon, Ilenia Murasecco, Janne Myhre, Elena Poptsi, Valentina Reda, Dorothea Elisabeth Ulshöfer and Sara Fascendini
Additional contact information
Anna Giulia Guazzarini: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Georgia Casanova: National Institute of Health & Science on Aging, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Aging INRCA (IRCCS), 60124 Ancona, Italy
Friederike Buchholz: Department of Psychiatry, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt—Universität zu Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Mahi Kozori: Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (GAADRD), 54643 Thessaloniki, Greece
Sara Lavolpe: Department of Neurology, Humanitas Gavazzeni, 24125 Bergamo, Italy
Bjørn Lichtwarck: The Research Centre for Age-Related Functional Decline and Disease, Innlandet Hospital Trust, 2313 Ottestad, Norway
Eleni Margioti: National Observatory for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Health Ministry Aristotelous 17, 10433 Athina, Greece
Aline Mendes: Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, University Hospital of Geneva and Geneva University, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Marie-Louise Montandon: Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, University Hospital of Geneva and Geneva University, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Ilenia Murasecco: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Janne Myhre: The Research Centre for Age-Related Functional Decline and Disease, Innlandet Hospital Trust, 2313 Ottestad, Norway
Elena Poptsi: Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (GAADRD), 54643 Thessaloniki, Greece
Valentina Reda: Primary Care Department, Dementia Programme, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Di Modena, 41124 Modena, Italy
Dorothea Elisabeth Ulshöfer: Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Zentralinstitut Fuer Seelische Gesundheit, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
Sara Fascendini: Fondazione Europea di Ricerca Biomedica (FERB Onlus), 24025 Gazzaniga, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Background: Dementia is a priority for global public health. The management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is one of the highest ongoing challenges and needs new approaches. The special care unit for people with dementia and BPSD (SCU-B) is viewed in this context as a further medical intervention. Aim: this study aims to explore SCU-B units in order to describe their main characteristics in relation to different implementation contexts, identify the characteristics of their replicability, and examine the social innovation elements promoted by SCU-B units. Method: This qualitative study is based on focus groups (FGs) and interviews involving nine international centers. Five of the centers have a memory clinic unit and SCU-B, compared with six that only have a memory clinic unit. A total number of 18 FGs were held, which altogether involved 164 participants. All data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by means of a content analysis and a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Results: The qualitative analysis offers a vision of the SCU-B model as an innovative care unit for BPSD, promoting social innovation in the long-term care (LTC) sector. This system mainly targets people with dementia and BPSD and their informal caregivers but encourages collaboration between dementia care stakeholders at the micro and meso levels. Conclusions: Specific characteristics of the country’s LTC systems and the organization of specialized units are determinants for the success of the SCU-B experience. The replicability of the entire SCU-B model was considered low; however, the implementation of single elements composing the SCU-B model may foster innovation. This study provides relevant suggestions on how to implement the SCU-B unit and innovative solutions for dementia care.

Keywords: dementia; BPSD; special care unit; psychosocial intervention; qualitative study; social innovation; implementation; replicability; RECage project (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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