| Description |
Despite the many benefits of advance care planning (ACP) and despite the availability of effective planning tools, past research has identified many barriers that prevent completion of ACP documents. These barriers include time limitations resulting from cognitive decline, personal preferences to focus on other aspects of life, anxiety, hesitancy to commit to future plans, lack of hope, disagreements between care partners, lack of knowledge (of dementia, care options, and ACP), and lack of support from medical providers. This pilot study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and potential value of a newly developed, educational session (covering dementia, person-centered care, and ACP topics) in promoting awareness, discussion, and completion of ACP among people with early-stage dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment and their care partners. The educational session was also evaluated for potential value in impacting perceived stress levels. Data was gathered primarily through questionnaires completed, both before and after the educational session, by the small sample (eight people initially enrolled and four remained at the end of the study). The initial intention was to create a brief curriculum that addressed educational barriers to help medical providers offer ACP support to patients soon after diagnosis. However, while some support was found for the intervention's feasibility, acceptability, and value, the results also indicated that other barriers are equally (if not more) important as the educational and medical provider support barriers. Additional research is needed to identify new approaches for presenting similar curriculum within a framework that better addresses the psychosocial barriers to ACP. |
