Abstract
Background
In long-term elderly care, sleeping problems regularly occur in nursing home residents with dementia. Three elderly care organizations in the Netherlands developed a sleeping protocol and App called ‘Night&Rest’.
Objective
To examine (1) effects of Night&Rest on the number of bedexits and moments of nocturnal restlessness and (2) experiences of professionals with Night&Rest and the value for their clients and their own work perception.
Methods
A Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) with a pre- and post-measurement was used. Registration forms were used to gather data on residents’ characteristics, type of sleeping problem, frequency of nocturnal restlessness and bed exits. Semi-structured interviews were conducted afterwards with professionals involved.
Results
A total of 15 residents were included in the study. Results on the registration forms showed a reduction in the number restlessness and bed exits among the majority of participants. Results of the interviews indicated predominantly positive experiences with Night&Rest. Professionals appreciated the structured guidance and accompanying tools to identify sleeping problems and select interventions.
Conclusion
Mainly positive experiences and effects of Night&Rest were found on both residents with dementia and care professionals. Large-scale research into long-term effects and further implementation in psychogeriatric care is recommended.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.