Everyday wishes of older people living with dementia in care planning: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: The dementia care policy in Japan emphasizes the views of people living with dementia in care planning. An exploration of the everyday wishes of older people living with dementia can help clarify their priorities and assist in improving dementia care. This study aimed to explore the everyday wishes of older people living with dementia in Japan. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in Aichi prefecture in Japan. Older people with mild to moderate dementia were considered for inclusion. Participants were recruited from a dementia outpatient clinic. In-depth interviews were conducted with 36 participants in the same dementia outpatient clinic from January to October 2019. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Inductive content analysis was carried out to analyze the data. FINDINGS: Participants expressed their everyday wishes within five themes (desire of being connected, freedom to decide, involvement in activities, status quo, and self-reliance). Older people living with dementia loved the connection with their family and wanted to have an enjoyable life by engaging in several activities without others’ interference. They desired to maintain the status quo and not be a burden to others. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence on the everyday wishes of people living with dementia. Identified wishes are mostly on emotional aspects of their daily lives. The findings of our study might help provide care for the people living with dementia considering their wishes. Further exploration, including people with severe dementia, is needed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07606-1.