Comparison survey on family caregivers of older persons in Japan and Thailand.

BACKGROUND: While rapid population ageing is occurring worldwide, its speed is especially prominent in Asian countries. In Asia, cultural diversity might significantly affect care burden; however, few studies have investigated the differences in care burden, and mental, physical and social conditions among Asian countries. This study aimed to clarify the situations of and differences in family caregivers (FCs) of older persons in Japan and Thailand, and evaluate the factors associated with care burden in both countries. METHODS: A cross-national survey of 217 in-home FCs was conducted in Japan and Thailand and mainly included items regarding care burden and psychosocial conditions. Differences between the two countries were obtained, and the factors associated with care burden were analysed by multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: The FCs' and care receivers' mean ages (64.8 ± 11.1 and 84.8 ± 8.6 years, respectively) in Japan were significantly higher than the mean ages (49.1 ± 13.3 and 77.1 ± 9.5 years) in Thailand. In Japan, FCs had more severe care burden, loneliness, and stress compared to those in Thailand. In Thailand, FCs had more social connections and informal support than those in Japan. The factors associated with care burden were different in each country; thus, severe stress, low emotional care preparation, and low willingness to continue care at home were significantly associated with severe care burden in Japan, whereas poor relationships with care receivers, few social connections, low confidence in providing care, low emotional care preparation, and lack of informal support were significantly associated with severe care burden in Thailand. CONCLUSIONS: Despite there being a long-term care insurance system in Japan, which is absent in Thailand, care burden and psychosocial conditions of FCs might be worse in Japan. There was a clear difference in the factors associated with care burden between Japan and Thailand.

Individual Nurse-Led Active Listening Intervention for Spouses of Individuals With Depression: A Pre-/Posttest Pilot Study.

The current pre-/posttest pilot study investigated the impact of an individual nurse-led active listening intervention for spouses of individuals with depression (herein referred to as patients) on spouses' psychological states and patients' depressive symptoms. Sixteen couples participated in the study. Individual sessions were conducted over 10 weeks to help spouses express their thoughts and feelings. Psychological measurement scale scores did not change markedly postintervention for spouses; however, their subjective evaluations of the intervention were positive. In the qualitative analysis, spouses stated that they were able to express their thoughts and feelings and that the sessions were meaningful. Moreover, postintervention depressive scores of patients improved significantly. Findings suggest that the nurse-led intervention of active listening for spouses may provide a better environment for improving the depressive symptoms of patients. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(12), 19-25.].

Factors Related to Mental Health of Foreign Care Workers in Long-Term Care Facilities in Japan during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Comparative Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the factors related to the mental health of foreign care workers in Japan's long-term care (LTC) facilities and compare their results with those of native care workers. We conducted a cross-sectional survey covering 80 LTC facilities across Japan between August and November 2021. The survey mainly included mental health, workload, reward, sense of coherence, loneliness, COVID-19-specific factors and sociodemographic variables. The results show that workload was a distinct feature associated with the mental health of foreign care workers (n = 172) when compared with those of native care workers (n = 154). In addition, we found that the relationship between cultural adaptation and mental health in a sample of foreign care workers was mediated by loneliness and sense of coherence (SOC). Finally, we found that reward, loneliness, SOC, and COVID-19-specific factors had significant impacts on the mental health of both foreign and native care workers. These findings highlight the importance of support measures from the workplace for foreign care workers. Workplace interventions that focus on workload, reward, and sense of coherence strategies are required to address mental health improvement and may still be of value in dealing with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of a virtual reality intervention on dementia care education among acute care nurses in Japan: A non-randomised controlled trial.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a virtual reality intervention for dementia care education in Japanese acute care nurses. Non-randomised controlled trial was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention pre- and post-intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. This study enrolled 20 and 19 nurses in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Generalized estimating equation analyses revealed significant differences in scores on the Dementia Nursing Competency Scale in Acute Hospitals and Staff Experiences of Working with Dementia Residents questionnaire in the intervention group. A post hoc test revealed significantly higher scores on the Dementia Nursing Competency Scale in Acute Hospitals at 1 month after compared with pre-intervention. Staff Experiences of Working with Dementia Residents questionnaire scores were significantly lower at pre- than that at post-intervention and 1 month after intervention. These findings could improve competency of dementia nursing care and attitudes toward people with dementia.

Lifestyle factors associated with muscle quality in community-dwelling older people with type 2 diabetes in Japan and Taiwan: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), common in older people, is an important reason for muscle loss in Japanese and Taiwanese populations. However, little is known about the association between lifestyle behaviours and muscle quality. We aimed to compare the lifestyle behaviours of Japanese and Taiwanese older adults with T2DM and to the identify lifestyle factors associated with muscle quality. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among community-dwelling individuals with T2DM aged ≥65 years in Taiwan and Japan. Totally, 114 Japanese and 226 Taiwanese participants were enrolled in the study. Outcomes were measured by blood biochemical examinations, body composition analyses and structured self-reported questionnaires to assess lifestyle behaviours and muscle quality. Linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between lifestyle factors and muscle quality using SPSS version 27.0 with a statistical significance level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: Japanese subjects were more likely to be smokers and alcohol consumers, and they were less likely to have well-balanced diets and engage in more physical activity as compared to Taiwanese subjects. The muscle quality in the Japanese subjects was significantly poorer than that in the Taiwanese subjects. Physical activity, dietary habits and smoking were associated with muscle quality, after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity of insufficient intensity, unhealthy dietary habits and smoking could be risk factors for poor muscle quality. These findings can contribute to the development of effective strategies to improve muscle quality in community-dwelling older Asian people with T2DM.

Associations between psychiatric home-visit nursing staff's exposure to violence and conditions of visit to community-living individuals with mental illness.

AIM: Psychiatric home-visit nursing is key for providing medical services to community-living individuals with mental illness in Japan. However, little is known about factors associated with encountering violent incidents among psychiatric home-visit nursing staff during visits. This cross-sectional study examined associations between staff's exposure to violence and their visit conditions reflecting characteristics of individuals with mental illness. METHODS: Psychiatric home-visit nursing staff members completed a questionnaire regarding their exposure to violence during the past 12 months and their visits to individuals with 23 characteristics, comprising static (13 items; e.g., psychiatric diagnosis) and dynamic factors (10 items; e.g., hostility/anger). RESULTS: Forty (16.3%) of the 246 participants had experienced violence. Visits to individuals with four static factors (psychiatric diagnoses, i.e., Disorders of Adult Personality and Behavior or Mental Retardation, alcohol/drug abuse with psychiatric diagnoses, and history of violent behavior), and nine dynamic factors were significantly and positively associated with participants' violent experiences. In addition, regarding the static factors of Disorders of Adult Personality and Behavior and history of violent behavior, it was found that overlapping of specific dynamic factors (e.g. hostility/anger) were significantly associated with violent experiences. CONCLUSIONS: For visits with limited information on individuals (e.g., initial visits), having information on their static factors could help prevent violence. Additionally, it is important to create educational programs for psychiatric home-visit nursing staff to detect the status of individuals' dynamic factors, and a system to share any related changes in timely fashion.

Factors associated with the well-being of family caregivers of people with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Improving the health and well-being of family caregivers of people with dementia has become an increasingly important public health and policy issue in China. The aims of this study were to clarify the factors associated with the well-being of family caregivers of people with dementia in China. METHODS: Data were collected from a sample of 132 family caregivers who volunteered to study and live together with people with dementia who had been treated as outpatients in three hospitals in China. The survey included questions on the family caregivers' characteristics, satisfaction with family support, positive aspects of caregiving, preparedness of caregiving, and characteristics of people with dementia. Multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with the well-being of family caregivers. RESULTS: The mean age of the family caregivers (68.2% women) was 46.8 ± 14.9 years. The results of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that positive aspects of caregiving (ß = 0.352, P < 0.001), satisfaction with family support (ß = 0.219, P < 0.01), activities of daily living of people with dementia (ß = 0.265, P < 0.05), and household size (ß = -0.184, P < 0.05) were related to the well-being of family caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study indicated that positive aspects of caregiving, satisfaction with family support, activities of daily living of people with dementia, and household size were significant factors related to the well-being of family caregivers. These findings could be expected to aid healthcare providers in identifying the optimal solution to enhance the well-being of family caregivers in China.

Testing the relationship between patient-related stressor, psychological distress, work engagement, job satisfaction and recovery attitude among psychiatric nurses in Japan.

AIMS: To test the relationship between patient-related stressor, psychological distress, work engagement and outcomes (job satisfaction and recovery attitude) among psychiatric nurses in Japan. Specifically, we tested the following hypotheses: psychological distress mediates the relationship between patient-related stressor and outcomes and work engagement moderates the direct and indirect effects of patient-related stressor on outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: In total, 446 psychiatric nurses in Japan responded to a self-reported questionnaire between August and October 2018. Data on demographics, patient-related stressor, job satisfaction, recovery attitude, psychological distress and work engagement were collected, followed by a moderated mediation analysis using hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULTS: Regression analysis indicated that psychological distress mediated the negative relationship between patient-related stressor and job satisfaction and that work engagement moderated the direct and indirect effects of patient-related stressor on job satisfaction. In particular, the higher the work engagement, the higher the indirect effect, but the lower the direct effect. Additionally, no mediation of psychological distress and moderation of work engagement was observed in the relationship between patient-related stressor and recovery attitude; however, work engagement directly increased recovery attitude. Results of the SEM test showed a satisfactory fit of the final model. CONCLUSIONS: Work engagement facilitates recovery attitude and increases the indirect effect of patient-related stressor on job satisfaction through psychological distress. However, work engagement decreases the direct effect not mediated by psychological distress. IMPACT: This study addresses an essential topic, that is, psychiatric nurse job outcomes (job satisfaction and recovery attitude) are negatively influenced by patient-related stressor. Work engagement has multiple beneficial effects on outcomes as both a facilitator and moderator; thus, programs that improve work engagement are useful for psychiatric nurses. Furthermore, programs may be enhanced considering that work engagement decreases the direct effect of patient-related stressor on job satisfaction.

Factors affecting the quality of dementia care at acute care hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate which factors are associated with the quality of dementia care in acute care hospitals. BACKGROUND: The number of people with dementia who are admitted to acute care hospitals is increasing. Improving the quality of dementia care in acute care hospitals is an important issue. Prior studies have demonstrated that not only knowledge and nursing experience, but also psychological factors and the nursing practice environment are related to high-quality care on general wards. DESIGN: Cross-sectional hypothesis-testing design. METHODS: Participants were nurses providing care to people with dementia at acute care hospitals. Questionnaires were distributed to 300 acute care hospitals in Japan, 10 copies each and 773 valid responses were received. Based on the hypothesis model, variables were tested using multiple regression analysis. The model described the relationship between quality of care, personal attributes and the nursing practice environment. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist was used. RESULTS: Almost 90% of the study sample was female, the mean age was 37.4 ± 9.3 years, and the mean nursing experience was 14.0 ± 8.7 years. The results showed that nursing foundations for quality of care, staffing and resource adequacy, specialist consultation, promoting systematic recreation and exchange, knowledge, and feelings towards people with dementia were associated with the quality of dementia care in acute care hospitals. The adjusted coefficient of determination was 0.367. CONCLUSION: This study identified factors associated with the quality of dementia care in acute care hospitals. Knowledge and feelings towards people with dementia are important, and the nursing practice environment plays an important role in improving the quality of dementia care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Not only improving nurse's practical ability but also a supportive nursing practice environment enhances the quality of dementia care in acute care hospitals.

Reliability and validation of the Positive Aspects of Caregiving scale among Japanese caregivers of people with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the Positive Aspects of Caregiving(PAC) scale's psychometric properties among Japanese informal caregivers of people with dementia. METHODS: A cross-sectional research design was used. Data were collected from the Kinki region of Japan during January 2019 and July 2019. Translation and back-translation were performed to acquire the optimal translation of the PAC scale. In total, 194 participants responded to questionnaires that included the Japanese version of the PAC scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Reliability was evaluated by examining the internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analysis with maximum likelihood estimation and oblique rotation was performed to assess the PAC scale structure. Concurrent validity was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The final version of the Japanese version of the PAC scale contained nine items. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors (Living an enriched life and Self-usefulness). The Cronbach's ⍺ coefficient of the total scale was 0.895, the subscales Cronbach's ⍺ coefficient were 0.896 and 0 .823. The intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.721, indicating acceptable reliability. PAC was significantly correlated to GDS (r = -0.548, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the Japanese version of the PAC scale was a suitable scale to measure PAC among Japanese caregivers of people with dementia. However, the construct differed from the original model. This scale could help health-care professionals understand the degree of caregivers' recognition about dementia care and support those with a low degree of positive aspects of caregiving.

Effect of Employment Status on the Association Among Sleep, Care Burden, and Negative Affect in Family Caregivers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of employment status on sleep, care burden, and negative affect among family caregivers (FCs) at home. METHODS: An intensive longitudinal design was applied in which 25 FCs underwent in-home assessments for up to 56 days. At baseline, demographic data and employment status were collected. FCs wore a wrist-worn device with an accelerometer to assess objective total sleep time (TST) for consecutive 24-hour periods. FCs answered the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) every night before sleep. Linear mixed model analysis was used to examine the effect of objective sleep status on ZBI and PANAS scores the following day. RESULTS: Mean participant age was 66.3 ± 10.8 years (72.0% female), and mean survey period was 29.1 ± 9.6 days (866 observations). Mean TST of FCs was 5.7 ± 1.4 hours. In total, 32.0% of FCs were employed either full- or part-time. TST of employed FCs was significantly associated with care burden and negative affect (B = -0.4 and -1.3, respectively); however, positive affect was not associated with TST. FCs who were unemployed experienced less care burden and negative affect (rate of change: -7.7 and -8.0, respectively). Additionally, TST of unemployed FCs was associated with negative affect; thus, when they slept 1 hour longer than their mean TST, they experienced less negative affect the following day. CONCLUSION: A reduction in TST could lead to increased care burden and more severe negative affect the following day, which may be moderated by employment status.

Developing a social capital scale for family caregivers of people with dementia.

Although several scales have been designed to measure social capital, none have been specialized for caregivers of people with dementia, even though social capital is important in terms of continuing care provision. Therefore, we developed and validated a 17-item measure to assess social capital among caregivers of people with dementia. We assessed psychometric properties using responses from a questionnaire survey that included a draft of a social capital scale. Factor analysis identified three factors involving 17 items with a Cronbach's alpha of .85. The intra-class coefficient for test-retest reliability was .71. The correlation with positive aspects of caregiving was .62 (p < .01). The results suggest that our scale could be a useful tool to assess social capital among caregivers of people with dementia.

Association between sleep, care burden, and related factors among family caregivers at home.

AIM: Several studies have reported a negative correlation between depressive symptoms and family caregivers' (FCs) subjective sleep status. However, there is a paucity of information on the association between objective/subjective sleep status, care burden, and related factors. METHODS: Participants were 23 pairs of care receivers (CRs; Mage = 82.7 ± 8.5 years; 69.6% women) receiving long-term care at home and their FCs (Mage = 66.9 ± 11.0 years; 69.6% women). At baseline, demographic data, subjective sleep status (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; PSQI), WHO-5 well-being, depressive mood, and frequency of going outdoors were collected. FCs wore a small, wrist-worn device with an accelerometer to assess objective sleep status for a consecutive 24-h 2-week period, and they answered the Zarit Burden Interview short version (ZBI) every night before sleep. After 3 months, CR status was collected and analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean total sleep time over 2 weeks was 349.5 ± 69.6 min. The mean ZBI score over 2 weeks was 8.8 ± 6.8, which was significantly correlated with total sleep time (r = -0.42; P < 0.05), total time in bed (r = -0.44; P < 0.05), PSQI (r = 0.62; P < 0.01), frequency of going outdoors by CRs (r = -0.42; P < 0.05), and WHO-5 well-being among CRs (r = -0.50; P < 0.05). Multiple regression analyses revealed that total sleep time (ß = -0.51; P < 0.05) was significantly associated with care burden (adjusted R2 = 0.45). At the 3-month follow-up, four CRs had been hospitalised or died, and their FCs displayed significantly severe care burden and slept less than at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced objective total sleep time is significantly associated with the severity of care burden among FCs. Home-based care is critical in Japan; therefore, it is meaningful to determine how to reduce care burden.

Factors influencing work engagement among psychiatric nurses in Japan.

AIM: To identify the factors influencing work engagement among psychiatric nurses. BACKGROUND: Work engagement is an essential outcome that promotes nurses' performance, but studies investigating its influencing factors remain limited in psychiatric settings. We hypothesized that job resources and personal resources positively predict psychiatric nurses' work engagement and have a particularly positive impact on engagement when job demand is high. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 425 Japanese psychiatric nurses. Data regarding demographics, job resources, personal resources (emotional intelligence), job demand (patients' attitude towards nurses) and work engagement were collected followed by data analysis using hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: Reward, supervisor support, nurse-physician collaboration, other-emotion appraisal and use of emotions were positively related to work engagement. Patients' unpleasant attitude towards nurses boosted the association of reward and supervisor support with work engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Certain job resources, empathic ability and self-motivation ability may enhance work engagement. Furthermore, reward and supervisor support may be particularly useful when psychiatric nurses face patients' unpleasant attitude. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: For enhancing psychiatric nurses' work engagement, nursing leaders should educate nurses' skills related to empathy and self-motivation, consider whether nurses are confronted with patients' unpleasant attitude, and improve the job resources.

Dementia nursing competency in acute care settings: A concept analysis.

AIM: To critically analyse the concept of dementia nursing competency in acute care settings. BACKGROUNDS: The nursing care needs of patients with dementia are increasing in acute care settings. However, a framework for the dementia nursing competency has not been explicitly outlined. DESIGN: Rodgers' evolutionary method for concept analysis. DATA SOURCES: Competenc* AND dementia AND nurs* AND acute OR hospital OR clinical were selected from the MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CiNii, and Google Scholar for publication from 2006 to 2017. REVIEW METHODS: All 29 articles were identified. Data were analysed with a particular focus on the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the concept. RESULTS: Six attributes were identified: respecting patient individuality, applying ethical considerations, providing person-centred care, possessing responsibility, coordinating external environments, and possessing care coordination and facilitation skills. Identified antecedents included building theoretical and clinical knowledge, developing an awareness of dementia and its risk behaviours, performing assessments of dementia nursing practice, developing relationships with patients with dementia, and applying a team approach. Applying the competency led to positive consequences for patients, nurses, and patient-nurse and nursing team relationships. CONCLUSION: Developing the dementia nursing competency results in stronger emotional interventions and adds a human-to-human connection.

Experiences of Violence and Preventive Measures Among Nurses in Psychiatric and Non-Psychiatric Home Visit Nursing Services in Japan.

Home visit nurses (HVNs) are crucial in psychiatric home visit nursing (PHVN) in Japan. However, little is known about violence toward HVNs in PHVN and non-PHVN settings. The current study aimed to clarify nurses' experiences of violence in these settings, their implementation of preventive measures, and related associations. Questionnaires were distributed to HVNs who provided PHVN and non-PHVN services. Sixty-nine (38%) of 184 participants had experienced at least one form of violence during the past 12 months, and 87 (47%) had experienced violence during their PHVN career. In non-PHVN settings, violence was experienced by 94 (51%) participants in the past 12 months and 119 (65%) participants during their career. Low use of preventive measures was found. The management of visiting schedules and confirmation of HVNs' locations during visits were negatively associated with exposure to violence in PHVN settings. It is important to promote measures to prevent high exposure to violence, emphasize the monitoring of visits, and have nursing agencies clarify HVNs' concerns in PHVN settings. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(4), 40-48.].

Intervention for the maintenance and improvement of physical function and quality of life among elderly disaster victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an exercise class implemented in an area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami for maintaining and improving physical function and quality of life (QOL) among elderly victims. METHODS: Participants were 45 elderly disaster victims. To measure the effectiveness of the exercise classes, results on the Functional Reach Test (FRT), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), One-leg Standing Balance (OSB), and Chair Stand Test (CST) were measured at the beginning of the exercise classes, and after 3 and 6months. In order to assess health-related QOL, the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8) was carried out at the beginning of the exercise classes, and after 1, 3, and 6months. RESULTS: Of the 45 people who consented to participate, 27 continued the program for 6months and were used for analysis. Analysis of the results for FRT, OSB, and CST showed significant improvements (respectively, p=.000, .007, and .000). SF-8 showed significant increases for the subscales of bodily pain (p=.004), general health perception (p=.001), and mental health (p=.035). CONCLUSIONS: By continuing an exercise program for 6months, improvements were seen in lower limb muscle strength and balance functions. Effectiveness for HRQOL was also observed.

Discrepancy between subjective and objective assessments of wandering behaviours in dementia as measured by the Algase Wandering Scale and the Integrated Circuit tag monitoring system.

AIM: Although wandering is one of the major research focuses of the behavioural psychological symptoms of dementia, assessment of wandering has mostly relied on caregiver-administered questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to compare staff-administered Algase Wandering Scale outcomes with objective temporal and spatial movement indicators obtained from the Integrated Circuit (IC) tag monitoring system. METHODS: Patients with dementia were recruited from a dementia care unit in Osaka, Japan in 2007. Primary nurses administered the Algase Wandering Scale, and the temporal and spatial movements of the subjects were monitored by the IC tag. Written informed consent was obtained from each subject's proxies. RESULTS: Nurses' assessments of wandering were in agreement with the IC tag outcomes only during the day shift. Spatial movements assessed by the staff did not reflect those measured by the IC tag. CONCLUSION: This objective measurement of wandering showed the limitations in the assessment of spatial and temporal movement by the staff.

Reliability and validity of the Algase Wandering Scale - version 2 for Japanese people with dementia.

In Japan, where older people already make up more than 23% of the population and the proportion is still growing, the burden on those caring for people with dementia is an increasing problem. This burden is magnified by wandering behavior, a peripheral symptom. Thus, there is a need for an objective measure of wandering behavior to determine what constitutes effective care. In this study, we translated the Algase Wandering Scale - Version 2 into Japanese, and examined its reliability and validity. Ambulatory residents with dementia were selected from two nursing homes and two wards specializing in dementia care in hospitals in Japan. Nurses and care workers taking care of these residents answered questionnaires regarding the residents. From the results, the Algase Wandering Scale - Version 2, Japanese version, was examined for inter-rater reliability, stability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity. The results of the analysis in the present study demonstrated that the Algase Wandering Scale - Version 2, Japanese version, has reliability and validity, and that it can measure the presence or absence of wandering and its severity. Surveys of residents with various wandering patterns in many facilities and verification of construct validity are warranted in the future.

[Dementia Care Mapping-Japanese version(DCM-J) as a research evaluation method for measuring quality of life among elderly patients with dementia: reliability and validity of Well-being and Ill-being value].

AIM: Dementia Care Mapping is a behavior evaluation tool that can be used to measure and improve the quality of life of elderly patients with dementia. However, the reliability and validity of the Dementia Care Mapping-Japanese version (DCM-J) has not yet been established. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to clarify the reliability and validity of the Well-being and Ill-being (WIB) value of the DCM-J as a method for evaluating quality of life. METHODS: The study was conducted from April 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006. The participants included 130 elderly patients (men 31, women 99, average age 82.65+/-7.69 years) who were given a diagnosis of dementia. We established inter-rater reliability during a parallel observation method and also used test-retest for reliability. The correlation between the WIB value of the DCM-J and the Japanese Quality of Life Inventory for Elderly with Dementia (QOL-D) was used to establish criterion-related validity. RESULTS: Forty-nine (37.7%) subjects were given a diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer's type, 80 (61.5%) had vascular dementia and 1 (0.8%) had dementia with Lewy bodies. The results showed correlation between the WIB value and social withdrawal measured by the behavioral category code (BCC) on the DCM-J and the three subscales of QOL-D: "interacting with surroundings", "expressing self", and "experiencing minimum negative behaviors". There was good internal consistency among these items. The interclass correlation coefficient was 82.32 (+/-5.85) for the WIB value of the DCM-J. The correlation coefficient of the retest, administered one week later, was 0.836 (p=0.001). The WIB value was significantly correlated with three sub-scales of QOL-D, and the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.53. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the WIB value of the DCM-J has good inter-rater reliability and test re-test reliability and criterion-related validity. In this study, the WIB value was shown to have similar reliability to the WIB value of the original DCM. Furthermore, our results suggest that the DCM-J could be useful for evaluating quality of life among elderly Japanese patients with dementia.