Shreemouna Gurung

Family caregivers of persons with dementia often face chronic stress, disrupted sleep, and emotional exhaustion. While adult day programs provide daytime respite, support during nighttime, when caregiving responsibilities can intensify, remains limited. “Overnight” adult day programs are a promising yet underexplored model that offers short-term respite by extending adult day program care into evening and overnight hours. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 15 family caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with moderate to advanced dementia who participated in an innovative program that combines a day program with short-term overnight respite in British Columbia, Canada. As part of a focused ethnography, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with family caregivers between July and December 2023. Data were analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s framework to identify patterns in caregivers’ perceptions of and experiences with the program. The findings demonstrated that: (1) family caregivers emphasized the importance of trust and continuity, built through consistent staffing and familiarity with the environment, which enabled confidence in leaving their relatives overnight, and (2) the program provided meaningful respite, allowing caregivers to rest, attend to personal needs, reconnect socially, and sustain their caregiving capacity while strengthening relationships at home. These findings highlight the potentially transformative role of short-term overnight respite in combination with adult day programs in enhancing family caregiver well-being and sustaining caregiving in community. This study adds to a growing body of evidence calling for more flexible, person-centered respite models tailored to the realities of dementia caregiving in the community.

Spousal care is a prominent support for persons living with dementia, yet the experiences of men who provide spousal care are understudied. This research explored the experiences of husbands caring for wives with progressive dementia in a community setting. In this paper, the experience of a 63-year-old retired man caring for his wife diagnosed with early onset dementia was explored using a longitudinal qualitative case study approach. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview and narrative diary data produced two themes: (1) The Practical Realities of Caregiving, underscoring the everyday challenges of caregiving and (2) The Emotional Landscape of Caregiving, highlighting the complex emotional journey of caregivers. Findings emphasize the emotional challenges faced by men caregivers and highlight the need for supports that are tailored to men’s unique experiences and emotional needs.

This scoping review, following Levac et al.’s methodology, examines the implementation and impact of relationship-centered care (RCC) in long-term care (LTC) settings for older adults. Peer-reviewed articles from AgeLine, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were included if published after 2000, involved older adults in LTC homes, focused on RCC, and conducted in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, or North America. Key findings were organized using inductive content analysis, and 41 empirical studies with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs were included. Three categories emerged: (1) Core Practices of RCC—relationship building and reciprocal exchange; (2) Transformative Impacts of RCC—improved care quality and collaboration; and (3) Pathways and Roadblocks to RCC—individual and organizational factors. By understanding the key elements, facilitators, and barriers of RCC, policymakers and practitioners can develop targeted strategies to improve care experiences and outcomes for residents, families, staff, and all others involved in LTC.

Research on programs offering senior-specific housing supports and enabling “aging in the right place” (AIRP) for “older persons with experiences of homelessness” (OPEH) is limited. This paper presents an environmental assessment of a “transitional housing program” (THP) in Metro Vancouver, Canada, for OPEH to AIRP. Data were collected using Aging in the Right Place Environmental (AIRP-ENV) and Secondary Observation (AIRP-ENV-SO) audit tools designed to evaluate multi-unit housing for OPEH. The 241-item AIRP-ENV tool was used to assess the built environmental features of four multi-unit buildings of the THP. The AIRP-ENV-SO tool was used to collect contextual data on the function, safety, and land use of the surrounding neighborhood. Findings identified built environment and urban design features that support THP residents’ safety, security, accessibility, functionality, social activity, autonomy, and identity. The THP buildings were rated ‘Good’ for accessibility, functionality, autonomy and identity, while ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Poor’ for safety, security, and social activity. Findings point to the built environmental features (e.g., size and layout of spaces) required in the THP to create opportunities for increased social engagement among residents and enhanced safety and security. The AIRP-ENV and AIRP-ENV-SO audit tools can help inform programs across the housing continuum to develop supportive built environments that promote AIRP for OPEH.