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The Nature of Relationships in Alternative Dementia Care Environments*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Elaine C. Wiersma  and
Alison Pedlar
Elaine C. Wiersma*
Affiliation:
Lakehead University
Alison Pedlar
Affiliation:
University of Waterloo
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Elaine C. Wiersma, Master of Public Health Program, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, ([email protected])
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Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the experiences of older adults with dementia while they were in long-term care and while they were in a summer-camp setting. Participant observation and interviews took place in both settings to gain an understanding of the experiences of seven residents of the long-term care facility. In the participants' experiences in the two contrasting environments, two types of relationships were evident—functional and supportive. Differing strategies were employed by residents within these two types of relationships. Notably, in supportive relationships, participants used humour and reminiscing in ways that reflected the depth of the relationship. At summer camp, in a more open and less constrained environment, relationships were dramatically altered and included elements of equality; personal interactions; and attention, reciprocity, and trust.

Résumé

Avec l'aide de sept entrevues et l'observation de terrain conduite dans deux contextes contrastes – un établissement spécialisé pour personnes âgées et un camp de vacances d'été, nous avons constatez dans cette enquête d'analyse, que deux stratégies différentes sont utilisées par des hommes âgés souffrant de démence. Le premier est un rapport fonctionnel, le deuxième est un rapport de support. Notamment, dans des rapports de support, les participants ont employé l'humour et la nostalgie. Tandis que dans un contexte plus sociable et dépourvu de règlements (le camp de vacances par exemple), les rapports ont changé, et inclus des principes d'égalité, d'interactions personnelles, la réciprocité, et de la confiance.

Keywords

vieillissementdémenceenvironnements alternatifssoin de longue duréerapports entre résidant et personnelagingalternative environmentsdementialong-term careresident-staff relationships
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , Spring/Printemps 2008 , pp. 101 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2008

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Footnotes

*

This research was made possible by a Practice-Based Research Award from the Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. The researchers would like to thank the staff sincerely, particularly Bernice Miller, Julie Pepin, and Leslie Stephens for their input and contribution to the research. Most importantly, the researchers would, however, like to thank the residents who participated in the research.

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