Experiences of Unpaid Caregivers for Persons With Memory Impairment Navigating Perioperative Care

As the aging population grows, individuals with cognitive impairment face increased challenges and a higher risk of poor outcomes. Although unpaid caregivers provide most of their care and help navigate hospitalizations and surgeries, their experiences in perioperative settings remain poorly understood.

This study explores the experiences of unpaid caregivers of individuals with memory impairment in the perioperative period.

This study used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore caregivers' experiences with perioperative care for individuals with cognitive impairment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposefully sampled unpaid caregivers of individuals who had undergone a surgery within the past 6 months at a Southeastern U.S. trauma center (February-April 2021). Conventional content analysis was used to code transcripts and identify themes.

Eight caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews. Caregivers reported being unprepared for postoperative complications, including delirium, cognitive changes, and functional decline. Communication deficits were prominent, with caregivers receiving inadequate information about surgical outcomes and postoperative expectations. Staff demonstrated knowledge gaps regarding dementia care, and 1 instance of verbal abuse toward a patient was reported. Five themes emerged: care recipients' perioperative experiences, caregivers' experiences, healthcare strengths and deficiencies, and improvement recommendations.

Caregivers of persons with cognitive impairment face significant challenges during the perioperative period, often unprepared for postoperative complications and lacking adequate communication from healthcare teams. Findings suggest targeted interventions, including preoperative caregiver education about delirium, enhanced communication protocols, and comprehensive hospital staff training on dementia care, could improve outcomes for this growing population requiring surgical intervention.