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Love between couples living with Alzheimer's disease: narratives of spouse care-givers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2017

ORIT SHAVIT ,
AARON BEN-ZE'EV  and
ISRAEL DORON
ORIT SHAVIT*
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Israel. Department of Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel.
AARON BEN-ZE'EV
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel.
ISRAEL DORON
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Israel.
*
Address for correspondence: Orit Shavit, Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The aim of this interdisciplinary study is to describe and analyse the meaning of love in relationships between couples living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the wealth of studies describing relationships in the face of AD, little is known about the experience and changing meaning of ‘love’ between spouses when one of them is suffering from AD. A qualitative narrative approach was used to capture what love means for couples when one spouse is living with AD. A combination of open discussion along with a semi-guided interview was conducted with N = 16 spouses of persons living with AD. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. A leading theme that emerges from the interviews is that AD provides a significant indicator of the meaning and understanding of the experience of love. Five major types of relationship developments occurred after the disease emerged: love died, love became weaker, love did not change, love was enhanced and the spouse fell in love again. The need for further research is discussed. The findings of this study offer an additional perspective to the existing literature, thereby providing a more comprehensive outlook on marital relationships within the context of AD.

Keywords

Alzheimer's diseaseloverelationshipsmeaningspouses
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , March 2019 , pp. 488 - 517
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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