Trends in quality of care and dying perceived by family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia 2005-2019.

Background: Dementia palliative care is increasingly subject of research and practice improvement initiatives.

Aim: To assess any changes over time in the evaluation of quality of care and quality of dying with dementia by family caregivers.

Design: Combined analysis of eight studies with bereaved family caregivers' evaluations 2005-2019.

Continuous Palliative Sedation Until Death: The Development of a Practice Protocol for Nursing Homes.

Objectives: Challenges inherent in the practice of continuous palliative sedation until death appear to be particularly pervasive in nursing homes. We aimed to develop a protocol to improve the quality of the practice in Belgian nursing homes.

Methods: The development of the protocol was based on the Medical Research Council Framework and made use of the findings of a systematic review of existing improvement initiatives and focus groups with 71 health care professionals [palliative care physicians, general practitioners (GPs), and nursing home staff] identifying perceived barriers to the use of continuous palliative sedation until death in nursing homes.

Spiritual care provided by nursing home physicians: a nationwide survey.

Objective: To examine perceptions and experiences regarding providing spiritual care at the end of life of elderly care physicians practising in nursing homes in the Netherlands, and factors associated with spiritual care provision.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was sent to a representative sample of 642 elderly care physicians requesting information about their last patient who died and the spiritual care they provided. We compared their general perception of spiritual care with spiritual and other items abstracted from the literature and variables associated with the physicians' provision of spiritual care.

Spiritual Care in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review of the Recent European Literature.

Many studies on spiritual care in palliative care are performed in the US, leaving other continents unexplored. The objective of this systematic review is to map the recent studies on spiritual care in palliative care in Europe. PubMed, CINAHL, ATLA, PsycINFO, ERIC, IBSS, Web of Science, EMBASE, and other databases were searched.

Palliative care for people with dementia in the terminal phase: a mixed-methods qualitative study to inform service development.

Background: When entering the dying phase, the nature of physical, psychosocial and spiritual care needs of people with dementia and their families may change. Our objective was to understand what needs to be in place to develop optimal palliative care services for the terminal phase in the face of a small evidence base.

Methods: In 2015-2016, we performed a mixed-methods qualitative study in which we (1) analysed the domains and recommendations from the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) dementia white paper and identified those with particular relevance for the terminal phase; (2) performed a series of focus group discussions with Dutch family caregivers of people with dementia in variable stages; (3) conducted interviews with experts involved in 15 special forms of terminal care for people with dementia in five countries.

Predictors of spiritual care provision for patients with dementia at the end of life as perceived by physicians: a prospective study.

Background: Spiritual caregiving is part of palliative care and may contribute to well being at the end of life. However, it is a neglected area in the care and treatment of patients with dementia. We aimed to examine predictors of the provision of spiritual end-of-life care in dementia as perceived by physicians coordinating the care.

Spiritual end-of-life care in Dutch nursing homes: an ethnographic study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore if and how spiritual needs are assessed and if spiritual care is provided to Dutch nursing home residents, including residents suffering from dementia, and if and how caregivers communicate and collaborate regarding the residents' spiritual needs.

Design: Two researchers conducted an ethnographic participatory study in a Dutch nursing home between April 2010 and June 2011, on a psychogeriatric unit (mostly dementia) and a somatic unit for residents suffering from physical disabilities. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and trends and to interpret the data.

[Improved end-of-life care for patients with dementia: greater family satisfaction and possibly greater end-of-life comfort].

Objective: To analyse possible trends in families' evaluations of the quality of end-of-life care and the quality of dying in dementia.

Design: Analysis of individual patient data from 3 studies (2 solely retrospective (after death) and 1 partly prospective).

Method: We combined data on 372 residents with dementia from 38 nursing homes and 13 residential homes ('psychogeriatric' wards) over the period 2005-2010.

Spirituality at the end of life: conceptualization of measurable aspects-a systematic review.

Although spiritual caregiving is a key domain of palliative care, it lacks a clear definition, which impedes both caregiving and research in this domain. The aim of this study was to conceptualize spirituality by identifying dimensions, based on instruments measuring spirituality in end-of-life populations. A systematic literature review was conducted.

Evaluations of end of life with dementia by families in Dutch and U.S. nursing homes.

Background: The End-of-Life in Dementia (EOLD) scales comprise the most specific set of instruments developed for evaluations of patients' end of life by their families. It is not known whether the EOLD scales are useful for cross-national comparisons.

Methods: We used a mortality follow-back design in multi-center studies in the Netherlands (pilot study 2005-2007) and the U.