Met and unmet care needs of home-living people with dementia in China: An observational study using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly

Abstract

Aim: The goal of the study was to investigate the patterns of needs in older individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia living at home using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly questionnaire. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 378 home-living residents served as the sample. The Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly questionnaire was used to analyze the needs of those receiving adequate interventions (met needs) and those without appropriate supports (unmet needs). Thereafter, the factors that correlated with total needs were determined using demographic characteristics. Results: Persons with dementia (PWD) had a mean care needs of 18.5 ± 5.4 (range 5–35). Unmet needs were most common in caring for someone (65.1%), looking after the home (63.5%), self-care (58.7%) and intimate relationships (44.4%) domains. Higher needs were significantly related to living with others than a spouse, longer length of diagnosis, older age and higher cognitive function. Conclusion: Unmet needs are common in home-living PWD. Home-based dementia care can identify and address PWD's unmet needs by focusing on care recipients and caregivers to enable PWD to remain safely at home and improve their quality of life. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 102–107.