Improving communication for persons with dementia

A codebook was developed for coding the field notes through an iterative process. The coded field notes were then analyzed for themes, with a particular interest in communication between staff and participants as well as between participants. Behavioral coding was undertaken with five target individuals at the DHC. The individual participants were invited to participate based on having hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Based on pilot observations, a coding system was developed through an iterative process to capture frequency counts of communication-related behaviors. Three focus groups (n=13) were held as an opportunity to learn about the staff?s perception of hearing loss and communication challenges with PACE participants. Direct observation at the DHC revealed opportunities to incorporate real-life scenarios into a staff training focused on communication strategies. Moreover, the observational coding of individual participants provides the groundwork for using behavior in the activity hall as the primary outcome of a future intervention investigation.