Disability and Society, 32(7), 2017, pp.1102-1106.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
The term ‘person-centred’ underpins dementia policy and approaches to support people with dementia. However, ‘person-centredness’ remains hazy, and words and definitions matter greatly when they are at the heart of defining what happens in people’s lives. Drawing on data from an ongoing project, this article suggests that conversations which include a person with dementia can elucidate how...
(Publisher abstract)
The term ‘person-centred’ underpins dementia policy and approaches to support people with dementia. However, ‘person-centredness’ remains hazy, and words and definitions matter greatly when they are at the heart of defining what happens in people’s lives. Drawing on data from an ongoing project, this article suggests that conversations which include a person with dementia can elucidate how ‘relational’ support is enacted in practice and the implications this can have on our understanding of ‘person-centredness’. Identities are shaped in part through how we speak to people, and how they speak to us. This is particularly pertinent to the aims of ‘person-centredness’. A conversation analytic approach to dementia support may therefore move us towards seeing ‘personhood’ as jointly constructed and reconstructed through interactions with others.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
dementia, person-centred care, communication, interpersonal relationships;
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 14(6), 2015, pp.716-733.
Publisher:
Sage
The aim of this article is to investigate how spouses in couples with dementia position themselves in relation to each other by analysing their use of pronouns, especially the we. The study uses joint interviews with 11 couples. Based on a quantitative analysis of pronoun use, it is argued that the pronoun we is used by all the spouses; however, it is used less frequently by the spouses...
(Publisher abstract)
The aim of this article is to investigate how spouses in couples with dementia position themselves in relation to each other by analysing their use of pronouns, especially the we. The study uses joint interviews with 11 couples. Based on a quantitative analysis of pronoun use, it is argued that the pronoun we is used by all the spouses; however, it is used less frequently by the spouses with dementia in comparison with healthy spouses. A qualitative analysis of the use of the pronoun we shows that the spouses position, experience and consider themselves as a couple and that they position and experience themselves as individuals in relation to the couple. One of the challenges for couples with dementia is to be able to retain a we in face of the progression of the dementia disease. By positioning themselves in various ways, the spouses establish and negotiate quite a complex and emotionally charged web of relationships.
(Publisher abstract)
A case study which describes how couples music therapy helped to restore the individuality of one man with dementia and how it also improved his relationship with his partner.
(Original abstract)
A case study which describes how couples music therapy helped to restore the individuality of one man with dementia and how it also improved his relationship with his partner.
(Original abstract)
Subject terms:
music therapy, dementia, partners, interpersonal relationships;
In the capacity of her work as a researcher the author visited many people with dementia and their families in their own homes to interview them and discuss their experience of living with dementia. In this reflective account the author discuses the everyday experience of sharing a cup of tea. This practice experience is integrated with literature about cultural practices around tea-drinking
(Edited publisher abstract)
In the capacity of her work as a researcher the author visited many people with dementia and their families in their own homes to interview them and discuss their experience of living with dementia. In this reflective account the author discuses the everyday experience of sharing a cup of tea. This practice experience is integrated with literature about cultural practices around tea-drinking. The author argues that incorporating everyday practices such as tea-drinking should become a feature of interactions with research participants, particularly where building relationships is essential in gathering information, such as when interviewing people.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
dementia, interviewing, interpersonal relationships, activities of daily living;
A speech and language therapist and a clinical psychologist explain how they use Intensive Interaction in their work with people living with dementia and care staff. The approach was originally developed for children and adults with severe learning difficulties, and its primary aims are to help with communication skills, participatory social inclusion and provide therapeutic support. The approach...
(Original abstract)
A speech and language therapist and a clinical psychologist explain how they use Intensive Interaction in their work with people living with dementia and care staff. The approach was originally developed for children and adults with severe learning difficulties, and its primary aims are to help with communication skills, participatory social inclusion and provide therapeutic support. The approach involves observing the person, picking up their key behaviours and using them to start a dialogue using the other persons movement and gestures. The article explains how to carry out Intensive Interaction, looks at authors experiences work working with Intensive Interaction, and their reflections on teaching the approach to staff and using it with people with dementia and their families.
(Original abstract)
Subject terms:
communication, dementia, therapy and treatment, interpersonal relationships;
The author draws on his experience of working as an independent massage therapist in residential care settings and as a trainer to explain how to respond to complex and non-verbal communication with people living with dementia, particularly those with more advanced dementia. The article looks specifically at: sounds and verbalisations; repetitive bodily movements; eye contact and gaze; proximity
The author draws on his experience of working as an independent massage therapist in residential care settings and as a trainer to explain how to respond to complex and non-verbal communication with people living with dementia, particularly those with more advanced dementia. The article looks specifically at: sounds and verbalisations; repetitive bodily movements; eye contact and gaze; proximity and posture; breathing patterns; and touch. Each of these forms of communication is examined and the way in which they can help improve and deepen relationships explored.
This guide has been developed for the friends and relatives of people with dementia. Each section provides practical tips on how to communicate with the person with dementia, advising carers on steps they can take to connect with their loved ones, and to help them have a good quality of life. To assist carers in navigating the dementia journey, the resource is divided into four stages; each stage
This guide has been developed for the friends and relatives of people with dementia. Each section provides practical tips on how to communicate with the person with dementia, advising carers on steps they can take to connect with their loved ones, and to help them have a good quality of life. To assist carers in navigating the dementia journey, the resource is divided into four stages; each stage giving examples of how the condition changes as it progresses. The stages are: memory loss and confusion, challenging behaviour, losing a grip on the present and finally physical frailty and dependence. The guide concludes with a number of frequently asked questions.
Subject terms:
interpersonal relationships, carers, communication skills, dementia;
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 11(5), September 2012, pp.657-676.
Publisher:
Sage
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 carers of relatives with dementia living in Scotland. The carers comprised 15 spouses (5 husbands, 10 wives), 4 daughters and 1 son all but two of whom were co-resident with their relative. A number of these carers each provided a series of interviews. The majority of the interviews were conducted with the carer alone, others with the relative...
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 carers of relatives with dementia living in Scotland. The carers comprised 15 spouses (5 husbands, 10 wives), 4 daughters and 1 son all but two of whom were co-resident with their relative. A number of these carers each provided a series of interviews. The majority of the interviews were conducted with the carer alone, others with the relative with dementia present and some as joint interviews. The carers recognised many manifestations of loss in the loved one and, simultaneously in their carer role, striving to maintain continuity of the person through compensatory actions and the provision of a supportive care environment. The authors sees these experiences as located along a trajectory of continuity and loss. She discusses caregiving relationship in dementia and the complexities of maintaining that relationship in the context of the shifting ground of a progressive illness.
Most research on disclosure issues in dementia has focused on the receipt of a dementia diagnosis but relatively little attention has been paid to the disclosure preferences of the patient or their spouse. This article focuses on couples’ disclosure preferences; it looks at what couples living with dementia want to know and tell about the disease. Twenty people with dementia (50% female) and 20...
Most research on disclosure issues in dementia has focused on the receipt of a dementia diagnosis but relatively little attention has been paid to the disclosure preferences of the patient or their spouse. This article focuses on couples’ disclosure preferences; it looks at what couples living with dementia want to know and tell about the disease. Twenty people with dementia (50% female) and 20 spouses, recruited from two Swedish memory clinics were interviewed. The analysis revealed five preference patterns around what the couples wanted to know and how they felt about sharing information concerning the disease with others. The patterns were labelled as: want to know and tell (no reservations about it); want to know and tell (some reservations about it); want to know but do not want to tell; want to know but cannot decide if we want to tell and cannot agree on either knowing or telling. This suggests that couples’ preferences about what they want to know are related to what they are willing to tell. The findings also show that it is usually the preferences of the person that has a dementia diagnosis that guide the stand that couples take as far as disclosure issues are concerned.
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 11(3), May 2012, pp.305-314.
Publisher:
Sage
As dementia becomes more severe, the changes that make communication more difficult and activities more limited can impede friendship. Dementia takes its toll on social relationships, and many friends withdraw and ‘disappear’, because they can no longer bear to see the changes that are taking place in their diagnosed friend. However, the need for true friends becomes even more important...
As dementia becomes more severe, the changes that make communication more difficult and activities more limited can impede friendship. Dementia takes its toll on social relationships, and many friends withdraw and ‘disappear’, because they can no longer bear to see the changes that are taking place in their diagnosed friend. However, the need for true friends becomes even more important as sufferers struggle to maintain their sense of self. This study focuses on friendships that remain and seeks to answer two questions: Do remaining friendships have a meaningful impact on the experience of early stage dementia? What factors are crucial to the retention of these friendships? The authors examines in depth the experiences eight people in the early stages of dementia who have been able to maintain strong friendships despite the diagnosis (all female, mean age 75 years, mean time since diagnosis 3 years). Factors that seem to play important roles are: the importance of the friendships, factors affecting the quality of the relationships, mutually beneficial relationships, core values, acceptance and disclosure, and recognition of strengths and understanding of limitations.
Subject terms:
interpersonal relationships, user views, dementia, friendship;