The Eden Principles in dementia respite care: carers’ experience

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on outcomes for carers of people with dementia who use the services of Hawthorn House, a day respite centre in rural Western Australia that is based on the Eden Principles.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative and qualitative data from carers was collected and analysed. Quantitative data included the General Health Questionnaire‐12, Zarit Burden Interview, and Eden survey. Qualitative data was from semi‐structured interviews. Validation was confirmed and then simple statistics were generated from the quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used with the qualitative data.

Findings

Carers of people with dementia who use the services of Hawthorn House confirm that the Eden Principles are an integral part of Hawthorn House and report better than average health, less stress/burden and better quality of life. Many attribute this to the services they receive from Hawthorn House.

Research limitations/implications

Participants for the study were self‐selecting.

Practical implications

The paper provides verification that the Eden Principles can lead to meaningful and important benefits for carers of people with dementia.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to report on the use of the Eden Principles in a non full‐time respite centre for people with dementia in rural Australia. Further, it describes quantitative and qualitative data on quality of life outcomes for carers as a result of being associated with the centre.

Citation

Downes, S. (2013), "The Eden Principles in dementia respite care: carers’ experience", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 105-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/14717791311327051