[Care diagnosis for demented patients living at home. A new concept?]

In addition to diagnosing the disease, establishing the care needs of people suffering from dementia is of paramount importance. Based on a literature review and expert advice, a working document has been drawn up in this article to determine the care diagnosis of dementia patients living at home.

The components of care diagnosis were listed by means of a systematic literature review. The inventory was then further adapted and a working document was developed using semi-structured interviews of sixteen professional caregivers and two informal carers.

The literature on care diagnosis is recent, and there are only a few studies with unequivocal results. However, all authors agree that making an inventory of the care needs results in better care planning and a better quality of life for both patient and informal carer. A synthesis of the literature review and semi-structured interviews led to a working document proposing the creation of an inventory of the care needs for a dementia patient living at home and his/her informal carer during a multidisciplinary consultation.

It is important to determine the care needs of a dementia patient living at home and his/her informal carer. The proposed document may serve as a guideline during a multidisciplinary consultation.