Formal caregivers’ perceptions of effective communication strategies while assisting residents with Alzheimer’s disease during activities of daily living

©2012 Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC)This article describes caregivers’ perceptions of communication strategies that are useful in their care practice when assisting individuals with moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD) during the completion of activities of daily living (ADLs). A total of 10 formal caregivers participated in one-hour semi-structured focus group interviews (FGIs) conducted at two different long-term care (LTC) locations (n = 5 at each location). To identify the strategies caregivers perceived to be effective, content analysis was the primary method used to examine the FGI data. Particular attention was given to identifying the frequency and extensiveness in which caregivers made reference to communication strategies during the FGIs. Caregivers discussed a total of 33 strategies that they perceived to be useful when assisting residents with moderate and severe AD during the completion of ADLs. The majority of the communication strategies discussed (64%) were task-focused and the most frequently mentioned strategies included the use of negotiation and explaining one’s actions to the resident. Greeting the resident was the most frequently discussed social strategy. In addition, two emergent themes containing a total of 12 strategies were identified, with the most frequently mentioned being establishing eye contact, familiarity with the resident, and postponing the task. Caregivers’ perceived use of communication strategies indicates that person-centred dementia care is a central aspect to facilitating the completion of ADLs