VIMP (March 1, 2024 – March 1, 2025)
Advancing Dementia Conversations for Nursing Staff and Relatives: Implementation of mySupport– Dissemination and Implementation Impulse (`Verspreidings- en implementatie impuls;’ VIMP).
In this project we take the lessons learnt in the previous mySupport research to further implementation of mySupport in four nursing homes. We updated the family booklet, and we add a new palliative care goals model and e-learning. We also strive for sustainability through establishing a community of practice connected to a new (2024-2029) EU project in which mySupport will be introduced together with Namaste in seven countries: In-Touch.
Team members of the VIMP project: Jenny van der Steen, Caroline Overbeeke-Couprie, Lotje Bagchus, Pascalle Billekens, Mary Leune, Marianne van Brussel, Eefje Sizoo, Anke Persoon
For more information about the team members, see the right side
Products
Nishimura M, Harrison Dening K, Sampson EL, Vidal EIO, Nakanishi M, Davies N, Abreu W, Kaasalainen S, Eisenmann Y, Dempsey L, Moore KJ, Bolt SR, Meijers JM, Dekker NL, Miyashita M, Nakayama T, van der Steen JT. A palliative care goals model for people with dementia and their family: Consensus achieved in an international Delphi study. Palliat Med. 2024 Apr;38(4):457-470. doi: 10.1177/02692163241234579.
Previous research (2019 – 2022)
When a nursing home resident with dementia can no longer make decisions for themselves, their family and nursing home staff must decide about care and treatment. Relatives often experience uncertainty about the course of dementia, especially when there is no opportunity to discuss the prognosis and important aspects of care.
mySupport, previously called ‘Family Carer Decision Support (FCDS) intervention’ has been developed to equip healthcare workers to support family when tough decisions about end-of-life care must be made for their family member with advanced dementia.
Previous research in Northern Ireland found that the FCDS intervention reduces family members’ uncertainty about care goals and end-of-life decisions and improves family members’ satisfaction about important choices regarding the provision of comfort and the quality of care. The FCDS intervention was subsequently evaluated in the mySupport study, an international multidisciplinary implementation study. In the mySupport study, the FCDS intervention has been translated and adapted for nursing homes in the Netherlands and other countries. The then version of the information booklet ‘End-of-life care’ was used for this purpose, with an accompanying conversation aid. The conversation aid provides examples and can therefore encourage family to ask questions to the care provider.
In the intervention, primary caregivers, nurses, and nurse specialists are trained to conduct family conversations. In this way, they are empowered to play a recognized, even more vital role in the process of advance care planning. The family discussions can also help to prepare for an additional conversation with the doctor about possible medical questions and decisions. The introduction of mySupport and its implementation were evaluated. Relatives felt more prepared and confident about making decisions.
Team members: Jenny van der Steen, Wilco Achterberg, Laura Bavelaar, Mandy Visser, Pascalle Billekens, Petra Geerds, Mary Leune and Marianne van Brussel
For more information about the team members, see the right side
Presented at:
26th Nordic Congress of Gerontology 2022, Odense, Denemarken
8th Advance Care Planning International (ACP-I) conference, 24-27 May 2023, Singapore. mySupport: Nurse-family Led ACP Conversations in Dementia Care.
