DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v15i1.65673

Home Health Care Nurses' Challenges in Implementing Person-Centered Care among Elderly Patients with Dementia

*Abdulkarim Omar Agga orcid  -  Education and Training Department, Qatar Care, Qatar
Nada Sattar orcid  -  Nurse Educator, Qatar Care, Qatar
Veronica Cristina Brillantes Macaraeg  -  Quality Management Department, Qatar Care, Qatar
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 by the Authors, Published by Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Background: As the global need to address the care of patients with dementia continues to rise, various healthcare systems have adopted approaches to uphold their dignity, respect, autonomy, and preferences. One such approach is Person-Centered Care (PCC), which has shown benefits in improving the quality of life for patients with dementia and their caregivers. However, despite its recognized benefits, PCC faces implementation challenges and is not widely adopted in some healthcare settings, particularly in complex situations. Additionally, limited research focuses on the experiences and challenges encountered by home healthcare nurses in these cases.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to identify and describe the challenges faced by home healthcare nurses in implementing Person-Centered Care specifically for elderly patients with dementia.

Methods: The study utilized Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology method. The participants included home healthcare nurses currently working with patients who have been medically diagnosed with dementia for at least six (6) months. Sixteen (16) participants were selected through purposive sampling. Nurses underwent thorough face-to-face interviews with the researchers. Inductive thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke was used to pragmatically organize the lived experiences.

 

Results: Upon data interpretation, the study revealed two major themes, namely, Personal Challenges with two sub themes, (1) Communication Barrier and (2) Limited Training, and External Challenges with also two sub themes; (1) Powerlessness in Decision Making and (2) Uncooperative Patients.

Conclusion: The study highlights the various challenges faced by home healthcare nurses in implementing PCC for elderly patients with Dementia. To improve nurses' capability to manage these challenges, support through education and training, policy development and stakeholder involvement is essential to enhance the care delivery process.

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Keywords: Challenges; dementia; home health care; person-centered care; qualitative study

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