No Place to Go: The Relationship Between Care Partner Inclusion Practices and the Hospital Environment

The objective of this was to explore how the physical environment in a hospital contributes to care partner inclusion practices.

Despite their vital efforts in caring for people living with dementia (PLWD), care partners of PLWD often report feeling not included in their loved ones' hospitalizations. This phenomenon goes against research, policy initiatives, and hospital design frameworks that underscore the importance of including care partners in hospital care. To ensure that care partners are systematically included in hospital care, health systems must create an environment that prioritizes care partners' presence.

This descriptive qualitative design employs a multimethod approach to data collection. Our team conducted direct observations in a large academic hospital and interviewed 23 clinicians/administrators and 15 care partners of PLWD to understand the relationship between hospital environments and care partner inclusion. Observational data were analyzed using a framework analysis, and interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis.

Direct observations revealed an underutilization of environmental resources such as family-centered spaces and environmental communication tools. Interview data revealed that adequate space for care partners, the layout of patient rooms, parking accessibility, room personalization, and comfort level of the hospital space all impact care partner inclusion.

Our findings highlight opportunities for health systems to create hospital environments that support PLWD and their care partners. In pursuit of systematic care partner inclusion, health systems can make adequate space for care partners, allocate dementia-friendly parking spaces, increase utilization of environmental communication tools, and increase comfort level of the environment.