Barriers and facilitators in the use of formal dementia care for dementia sufferers: A qualitative study with Chinese family caregivers in Hong Kong.

Understanding the barriers and facilitators in the use of formal dementia care for dementia sufferers is crucial. However, such studies have largely been conducted in Western countries, and current evidence is not fully applicable to Asian societies. This qualitative enquiry aims to identify the barriers and facilitators for family caregivers of persons with dementia (PwDs) to use relevant services at communities in Hong Kong. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 15 PwDs were conducted in three elderly care centres. The content analysis of transcribed audiotaped interviews revealed various barriers related to financial support, service availability and accessibility, life burden, and referral, and facilitators about family responsibility, perceived benefits, and caring relations. The culture rooted in Confucianism with a British melioration may play an important role in shaping PwDs' experiences in the use of dementia services in Hong Kong. Cultural sensitive services could be attempted to attract more PwDs to utilise them.