De Leeuw, R.

Background: Health care systems aim to involve as much informal care as possible and dementia patients prefer to stay home as long as they can. In this context, perseverance time (Pt)—the period that the informal carer indicates to be able to maintain current care if the situation remains stable—is an important concept. Objective: The aim of this study was to introduce the concept Pt and validate it in a sample of informal carers of dementia patients living at home.

Aim: This study was about the final decision by spouses to have their demented partner placed in a nursing home. The central question was whether the admission took place in the right time in their point of view.

Method: Fourteen partners of persons with dementia evaluated the nursing home placement. They were interviewed at home using a semi-structured questionnaire. Grounded theory was used to explore the process of decision-making. In addition to the interviews, quantitative data were used from a 2-year follow-up study.