Psychological safety for persons with dementia in hospital

Hospitalization is a stressful event for a person with dementia. Not understanding what is happening around her/him and why, the admission feels like a threatening situation. In response, the person with dementia may feel anxious, become angry, yell and, most importantly, want to withdraw from the situation by running away, pulling out catheters or refusing care. Therefore, in the interest of physical safety, sedative medication is often prescribed or the person's freedom of movement is physically restricted. In doing so, caregivers ignore the underlying need that persons with dementia have: the need to feel psychologically safe, at ease. With this research, we want to work with caregivers and loved ones of persons with dementia to find ways to provide better dementia care that feels safe for everyone, even when hospitalization is unavoidable.