Dementia Patients and Care Partners Struggle with Hospital Communication, Research Finds

Strategic Insights -

People with dementia and their care partners struggle to communicate their health priorities and care preferences during acute care episodes, according to a new study. Researchers interviewed 14 Hispanic people with dementia and 19 care partners from a southeastern United States public safety net hospital system. The study found that participants' health priorities were grounded in values of maintaining social connection and independence, but hospitalizations were distressing, disorienting, and physically burdensome. Communication with ED and hospital teams was often unidirectional, with care plans delivered rather than discussed.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over half of people with dementia visit the emergency department each year, highlighting the need for better communication and care planning.
  • Participants' health priorities were grounded in values of maintaining social connection and independence, emphasizing the importance of person-centered care.
  • Hospitalizations were distressing, disorienting, and physically burdensome for both patients and care partners, leading to preferences to avoid admission whenever possible.
  • Communication with ED and hospital teams felt unidirectional, with care plans delivered rather than discussed, and care preferences rarely elicited or incorporated into clinical decision-making.
  • Adapting existing frameworks, such as the patient priorities care (PPC) framework, may help promote shared decision-making about hospital admission.
  • The study suggests that incorporating brief conversations about health priorities at critical decision points, such as during acute care episodes, may improve alignment between emergency care and what matters most to patients and care partners.
  • The research was supported by the National Institute on Aging and the Emergency Medicine Foundation.
  • The study participants were recruited from a public safety net hospital system in the southeastern United States, highlighting the importance of addressing healthcare disparities in this population.
  • The study's findings have implications for improving communication and care planning in emergency departments and hospitals, particularly for vulnerable populations such as Hispanic people with dementia and their care partners.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. New Dementia Study Findings Have Been Reported from Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (A Qualitative Study of Health Priorities of People With Dementia and Care Partners in Emergency Department and Hospital Care in a Public Safety-Net Setting). Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 13, 2025; p 484.
  • Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. A Qualitative Study of Health Priorities of People With Dementia and Care Partners in Emergency Department and Hospital Care in a Public Safety-Net Setting. 2025.