Impact of acute hospital admission on people with dementia: family carers’ perspectives

Purpose This paper describes family carer accounts of loved ones with dementia admitted to acute hospitals as emergencies. This study aims to highlight environment, attitudes, actions and misunderstandings which exacerbate confusion, anxiety and resistant behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A case study originating in concerns raised by family carers of people with young or early onset dementia during a programme of carer support. Six carers contributed, echoing the wider experiences of the group. Although angry and sad, they hoped that sharing their experiences could enhance dementia knowledge and skill. Findings Carers understood workload pressures and unsuitable environments but were shocked by the lack of knowledge and skill provided for people with dementia. Carers’ knowledge of how dementia affected their loved one was ignored and being excluded from assessment, they questioned the accuracy of diagnosis or appropriateness of treatment. The absence of skilled staff caused considerable distress and induced responsive patient behaviours which could have been minimised by listening to and involving carers. Practical implications The examples provide opportunities for practice-based learning, mentorship, clinical supervision and dementia training. Originality/value This paper illustrates inappropriate care mentioned in research, demonstrating how memory, cognition, understanding, perception and reality in dementia are misunderstood, how misconceptions impact on behaviour and create distress in already stress-inducing environments.