ORIGINAL ARTICLE Transferring from an acute hospital and settling into a subacute facility: the experience of patients with dementia Robin Digby MN, Grad Cert. Gerontology, BA, RN Principal Nurse and Site Manager, The Mornington Centre, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Vic., Australia Cheryle Moss PhD, BAppSc, MSc, Grad Dip Ed Admin, RN, CCUCert, FRCNA Associate Professor, Nursing, Research & Practice Development Monash University, Vic., Australia Melissa Bloomer MN, MPET, MNP, GCPET, GCDE, Crit. Care Cert., BN, RN Lecturer, Monash University, Vic., Australia Submitted for publication: 13 September 2010 Accepted for publication: 22 April 2011 Correspondence: Robin Digby 165 Franklin Rd Portsea Vic. 3944 Australia Telephone: +61 3 5976 9000, +61 400 892 518 E-mail: rdigby@phcn.vic.gov.au DIGBY R., MOSS C. & BLOOMER M. (2012) DIGBY R., MOSS C. & BLOOMER M. (2012) Transferring from an acute hospital and settling into a subacute facility: the experience of patients with dementia. International Journal of Older People Nursing 7, 57–64 doi: 10.1111/j.1748-3743.2011.00282.x Background. In a Melbourne metropolitan health network, patients with dementia can have difficulty settling into a subacute rehabilitation facility after transfer from the acute hospital. Aims and objectives. To understand how older patients with mild to moderate dementia experienced the transfer from acute to subacute care and settling-in period. Design. A descriptive design was used. Eight patients with mild to moderate dementia were recruited, one to 5 days after transfer. Method. A qualitative method using in-depth interviews was used. The data were analysed using content analysis. Results. Four main themes were identified: ‘Settling into a new environment’, ‘staff attitudes to people with dementia’, ‘loss of control’ and ‘family support’. Conclusions. Person-centred care that comes from the perspective of respect for the individual transcends all these issues. People with dementia require more support to settle after transfer. Family involvement can assist in facilitating a smooth transition. Implications for practice. Nurses who understand the specific needs of patients with dementia can develop ways of working with patients to ensure person-centred care. More conversations with people with dementia are needed to investigate how this can be achieved. Orientation procedures should ensure that support for people with dementia is optimized during the settling-in phase. Key words: acute hospital, dementia, interview, qualitative research, subacute hos- pital, transfer Introduction The older population are the largest consumers of healthcare (Access Economics, 2009), and it is not unusual for patients to experience multiple transfers within the health service during the same admission. In Australia, little research has been undertaken to ascertain the effect that these transfers have on patients with dementia who appear to be especially vulnerable to changes in environment. It has been observed in the facility in this study that unsettled, aggressive or Ó 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 57