A Japanese booklet about palliative care for advanced dementia in nursing homes

Background: A Canadian guide for nursing home staff on comfort care for dementia has been translated and adapted for use in Japan. The present study piloted educational intervention for nursing home staff using the Japanese comfort care booklet. Method: Some 61 nursing home staff (nurses and other care workers) completed a session that included pre-assessment, a 30-minute seminar using the comfort care booklet, post-assessment, and a one-hour debriefing meeting. A Japanese version of the questionnaire on palliative care for advanced dementia (qPAD) scale was used to assess knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care for advanced dementia. Results: The participants demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge (mean score, 14.3 to 15.1/23, t (60) = 2.35, p=0.011) and attitudes (43.8 to 45.2/60, t (60) = 2.51, p=0.015) toward palliative care for advanced dementia from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Conclusion: The educational intervention using the Japanese comfort care booklet may have improved nursing home staff's perspectives on palliative care for advanced dementia.