Living with dementia from the perspective of older people: is it a positive story?

Author:
STEEMAN Els
Journal article citation:
Aging and Mental Health, 11(2), March 2007, pp.119-130.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis

Dementia, even at an early stage, may pose problems and challenge one's quality of life. Having accurate knowledge of what one experiences when living with dementia is important for developing proactive care for individuals with dementia and their families. The aim of this Grounded Theory study was to explore what it means for elderly people to live with early-stage dementia. This study interviewed 20 elderly people with probable mild dementia and their family members drawn from five memory clinics in Flanders, Belgium. Living with dementia was often presented as a positive narrative, one that told of only minor problems and which stressed abilities and contentment with life. Being valued, rather than losing one's cognition or identity was central in their experience. More in-depth analyses of participants' narratives revealed, however, that they were constantly balancing their feelings of value and worthlessness, struggling to remain someone of value. This struggle was prompted by threats posed by dementia and by the persons' interactions with others. Superficially, a positive narrative may be understood as a lack of awareness or as denial due to cognitive loss. The findings suggest, however, that we should look beyond this superficial view and seek to understand the narrative as an expression of one's attempt to counterbalance devaluation.

Subject terms:
life story work, older people, attitudes, dementia;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
Belgium
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1364-6915
ISSN print:
1360-7863

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