Use of dementia care mapping in the care for older people with intellectual disabilities: A mixed‐method study

BACKGROUND: The ageing of people with intellectual disabilities, with associated morbidity like dementia, calls for new types of care. Person‐centred methods may support care staff in providing this, an example being Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). DCM has been shown to be feasible in ID‐care. We examined the experiences of ID‐professionals in using DCM. METHODS: We performed a mixed‐methods study, using quantitative data from care staff (N = 136) and qualitative data (focus‐groups, individual interviews) from care staff, group home managers and DCM‐in‐intellectual disabilities mappers (N = 53). RESULTS: DCM provided new insights into the behaviours of clients, enabled professional reflection and gave new knowledge and skills regarding dementia and person‐centred care. Appreciation of DCM further increased after the second cycle of application. CONCLUSION: DCM is perceived as valuable in ID‐care. Further assessment is needed of its effectiveness in ID‐care with respect to quality of care, staff‐client interactions and job performance.