An Exploration of Stories or Narratives of Older Persons Living with Dementia

Alex Walker, Anne Fothergill, Nicky Genders, Joyce Kenkre, Geraint Morgan, June Clarke, Karen Healey

Research output: Contribution to conferencePosterpeer-review

Abstract

There are roughly 50 million people worldwide with a diagnosis of dementia (WHO, 2017). In Wales alone, dementia care costs the Welsh Government £1.4 billion per year (Alzheimer’s Society, 2015). With such high figures for both the prevalence and care costs of dementia, it is imperative that the care being provided is the best available.
Traditionally, it was believed that people with dementia were a "diseased entity" who would not be able to provide accurate insight into their condition (Cottrell and Schultz, 1993). More recently, researchers began to realise that the best people to explain life with dementia, are the people with dementia.
This research project is exploring the stories or narratives collected from 6 people with dementia and 6 family members to understand what day to day life is like when living with the condition.
The participants with dementia live within Caerphilly or Torfaen, are over 65 and receive care through Hafod Care Association. The family members are related to someone who fits the inclusion criteria.
For this project, the people with dementia are video recorded while narrating their key life events; from childhood through to the present day. The family members are also video recorded whilst narrating their experiences of living with someone who has dementia; from their relationship prior to dementia onset to the present day.
The video recordings will be transcribed, edited with the help of the participants and then analysed using a narrative analysis.
Results will be used to improve the dementia care provided by Hafod Care Association for both the people with dementia and their family members.
The video recordings will be edited, with the addition of personal photographs should the participant wish to provide any, and turned into "this is your life" style documentaries.
Copies of the documentaries will be returned to the participants for them to keep. Additional copies of the documentaries will be used by the University of South Wales in conferences, by Hafod Care Association to develop their dementia models and care strategies, and for internal training to educate staff about life with dementia.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jul 2018
EventWISERD conference University of South Wales -
Duration: 19 Jul 2018 → …

Conference

ConferenceWISERD conference University of South Wales
Period19/07/18 → …

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