Aging expert offers new perspectives on dementia care
Joseph E. Gaugler’s presentation highlighted the importance of data, empathy, and community.
Aging expert offers new perspectives on dementia care
The Scripps Gerontology Center recently welcomed Joseph E. Gaugler, a distinguished McKnight University Professor and Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-term Care and Aging at University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health to campus. As a recipient of the prestigious Leaders in Aging Research award, Dr. Gaugler spent the day with students and culminated his visit with a presentation titled, “Description, Intervention, Implementation, and Community: A Perspective on Dementia Care Science”.
To provide a deep analysis of how data, empathy, and community come together to aid in the advancement of dementia care, Gaugler began his presentation by sharing how his family’s story shaped his passion for aging research. His mother immigrated from Italy, and his father earned his bachelor’s degree in his late 40s – both of which helped Gaugler understand how persistence and care can transform someone’s life. These lessons helped guide his career as a researcher and educator.
Understanding dementia care
One of Gaugler’s main messages was that a move into residential care does not signal the end of family caregiving. It is more of a transition of care. His studies have shown that while stress and depression typically decrease for caregivers once they transition a loved one into the hands of professional care, the need for support is still there.
“Institutionalization is more of a transition than an endpoint,” Gaugler said, emphasizing that family caregivers require resources, education, and emotional support throughout this stage.
To address this need, Gaugler helped develop the community outreach effort “Caring for People with Memory Loss,” which provides education for family caregivers on topics such as driving with dementia, accessing community resources, and supporting younger family caregivers as well.
“I wanted to ensure that my scientific findings had a practical impact on caregiving,” he said.
Using mixed methods to capture human experience
Gaugler described a mixed-methods approach in his research which combined quantitative and qualitative data to look into both outcomes and experiences. His team surveyed family caregivers every six months to measure changes in stress, depression, and coping mechanisms.
There was little evidence of impact early on, but Gaugler observed that deeper qualitative data revealed a different story. Family caregivers were learning to communicate more effectively, access outside resources more often, and adopt relaxation techniques that were able to improve their overall wellbeing.
These findings led Gaugler to question what “burden” means to family caregivers.
“I noticed that for many family caregivers, this word has no meaning since it doesn’t reflect their experiences of taking care of a loved one who is sick,” he said.
Mixed-methods research showed how interventions can better tend to people’s needs. As a result, family caregivers in the treatment group rated their ability to arrange for services and outside support higher than in the control group and were more likely to perceive that they had someone they could trust at four months, and they were more likely to say their care recipient did not annoy them.
Persistence and Progress
Throughout his career, Gaugler emphasized the importance of resilience in research. His team continued through trial and error when his early projects faced setbacks. They refined interventions and collaborated with community organizations to test new ideas.
“This commitment reflects the ongoing evolution of dementia care science,” he said. “It depends on the persistence of its researchers.”
Gaugler encouraged those interested in dementia care research to view aging research as both scientific and human. Combining research with compassion will help us to understand how we can help create better care systems for families.
