Family Caregivers’ Knowledge of Delirium and Preferred Modalities for Receipt of Information

Delirium is a life-threatening, frequently reversible condition that is often a sign of an underlying health problem. In-hospital mortality alone for older adults with delirium ranges from 25% to 33%. Early recognition of delirium is critical because prolonged duration poses a greater risk of poor f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied gerontology 2016-07, Vol.35 (7), p.744-758
Main Authors: Bull, Margaret J., Boaz, Lesley, Sjostedt, Jennifer M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Caregivers
Caregivers - education
Caregivers - psychology
Consumer Behavior
Cross-Sectional Studies
Delirium
Delirium - diagnosis
Female
Gerontology
Health
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health problems
Humans
Information
Information Seeking Behavior
Internet
Knowledge
Male
Middle Aged
Mortality rates
Needs Assessment
Older people
Periodicals as Topic
Risk
Surveys and Questionnaires
Symptoms
Young Adult
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Summary:Delirium is a life-threatening, frequently reversible condition that is often a sign of an underlying health problem. In-hospital mortality alone for older adults with delirium ranges from 25% to 33%. Early recognition of delirium is critical because prolonged duration poses a greater risk of poor functional outcomes for older adults. Family caregivers, who are familiar with the older adult’s usual behaviors, are most likely to recognize delirium symptoms but might dismiss them as due to aging. It is important to learn what family caregivers know about delirium to ascertain their need for education. The aims of this study were to describe family caregivers’ knowledge of delirium and preferred modalities for receipt of information about delirium. A cross-sectional design was used for this study and a survey distributed to family caregivers for older adults. Analysis of 134 usable surveys indicated that family caregivers need and want information about delirium. The preferred modalities for receipt of information included Internet, in-person classes, and newsletters.
ISSN:0733-4648
1552-4523
DOI:10.1177/0733464814535484