The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study

ABSTRACT Aim This study is intended to generate insight into the knowledge possessed by formal caregivers in the Netherlands about care for people living with dementia. More specifically, it explores the association between the knowledge and characteristics of caregivers in nursing homes and home ca...

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Main Authors: Sabien Johanna Everdina Bosman, Marlijn Abbink, Marleen Hermien Lovink, Anke Persoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:Nursing Open
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70263
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author Sabien Johanna Everdina Bosman
Marlijn Abbink
Marleen Hermien Lovink
Anke Persoon
author_facet Sabien Johanna Everdina Bosman
Marlijn Abbink
Marleen Hermien Lovink
Anke Persoon
author_sort Sabien Johanna Everdina Bosman
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Aim This study is intended to generate insight into the knowledge possessed by formal caregivers in the Netherlands about care for people living with dementia. More specifically, it explores the association between the knowledge and characteristics of caregivers in nursing homes and home care. The formal caregivers included in this study served a variety of functions, primarily as nursing staff. Design A quantitative retrospective cohort study. Methods We analysed two datasets based on two Dementia Knowledge Monitors (DKMs): one for the nursing‐home setting (DKM‐NH; n = 5807) and one for the home‐care setting (DKM‐HC; n = 532). Total scores and subscale scores ranged from 0 to 100. Analyses were conducted at both the total level and the subscale level. Results On average, nursing‐home caregivers scored 68.3 out of 100, as compared to 62.9 for home caregivers. Scores for nursing‐home caregivers were associated with age, function, educational training, region and experience (working in a specialised dementia department, private experience and years of working in a nursing home). Scores for home caregivers were associated with function, age and the number of PwD for whom they had provided care. Conclusion Knowledge of dementia care leaves room for improvement for formal caregivers in all functions, in both nursing‐home and home‐care settings. Professional function, experience with dementia and previous extra training have a significant impact on a caregiver's level of knowledge concerning dementia care. Public Contribution Offering educational programmes to caregivers could increase dementia‐care knowledge. Additionally, caregiver experience in caring for PwD could potentially be optimised through short internships, shadowing and staff retention. Future research should explore valid, effective and attractive educational programmes for the various functional groups, in addition to identifying strategies for accelerating the process of acquiring experience in care for people with dementia.
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spelling doaj-art-dc95ad3f881e4af3b8c695efc19b19202025-08-20T02:48:03ZengWileyNursing Open2054-10582025-07-01127n/an/a10.1002/nop2.70263The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative StudySabien Johanna Everdina Bosman0Marlijn Abbink1Marleen Hermien Lovink2Anke Persoon3Ideon Angeren the NetherlandsIdeon Angeren the NetherlandsDepartment of Primary and Community Care Radboud University Nijmegen, Medical Center Nijmegen the NetherlandsDepartment of Primary and Community Care Radboud University Nijmegen, Medical Center Nijmegen the NetherlandsABSTRACT Aim This study is intended to generate insight into the knowledge possessed by formal caregivers in the Netherlands about care for people living with dementia. More specifically, it explores the association between the knowledge and characteristics of caregivers in nursing homes and home care. The formal caregivers included in this study served a variety of functions, primarily as nursing staff. Design A quantitative retrospective cohort study. Methods We analysed two datasets based on two Dementia Knowledge Monitors (DKMs): one for the nursing‐home setting (DKM‐NH; n = 5807) and one for the home‐care setting (DKM‐HC; n = 532). Total scores and subscale scores ranged from 0 to 100. Analyses were conducted at both the total level and the subscale level. Results On average, nursing‐home caregivers scored 68.3 out of 100, as compared to 62.9 for home caregivers. Scores for nursing‐home caregivers were associated with age, function, educational training, region and experience (working in a specialised dementia department, private experience and years of working in a nursing home). Scores for home caregivers were associated with function, age and the number of PwD for whom they had provided care. Conclusion Knowledge of dementia care leaves room for improvement for formal caregivers in all functions, in both nursing‐home and home‐care settings. Professional function, experience with dementia and previous extra training have a significant impact on a caregiver's level of knowledge concerning dementia care. Public Contribution Offering educational programmes to caregivers could increase dementia‐care knowledge. Additionally, caregiver experience in caring for PwD could potentially be optimised through short internships, shadowing and staff retention. Future research should explore valid, effective and attractive educational programmes for the various functional groups, in addition to identifying strategies for accelerating the process of acquiring experience in care for people with dementia.https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70263caregiversdementiaeducationhome careknowledgemeasurement instrument
spellingShingle Sabien Johanna Everdina Bosman
Marlijn Abbink
Marleen Hermien Lovink
Anke Persoon
The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
Nursing Open
caregivers
dementia
education
home care
knowledge
measurement instrument
title The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
title_full The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
title_fullStr The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
title_full_unstemmed The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
title_short The Knowledge of Caregivers About Care for People Living With Dementia and Its Associations in Nursing Homes and Home Care—A Quantitative Study
title_sort knowledge of caregivers about care for people living with dementia and its associations in nursing homes and home care a quantitative study
topic caregivers
dementia
education
home care
knowledge
measurement instrument
url https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70263
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