SoCA - Development of a working definition of stability of home-based care arrangements

We developed and harmonised a working definition of ‘stability of home-based care arrangements for people living with dementia’ in a consensus process with scientific experts. In this definition, we frame stability as a dynamic process over the dementia care trajectory which is actively shaped by all the actors involved and which can be achieved only if the needs and demands of the person living with dementia and his/her informal carer(s) are addressed. While moving on a continuum between stability and instability, the actors cope with crises and establish routines. The transition to an institutional setting may result from a basically stable care situation or may be the result of crisis that cannot be mastered.

von Kutzleben, M., Köhler, K., Dreyer, J., Holle, B., & Roes, M. (2017). Stabilität von häuslichen Versorgungsarrangements für Menschen mit Demenz. Entwicklung und Konsentierung einer Definition von Stabilität durch Expertenfokusgruppen. [Stability of home based care arrangements for people with dementia. Development of a consensus definition of stability using expert focus groups]. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie, 50(3), 210-218. doi:10.1007/s00391-015-0990-0