The Gerontology Institute, 1373Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Division of Geriatric & Gerontology, 12239Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Dementia (London). 2023 May;22(4):854-874. doi: 10.1177/14713012231162713. Epub 2023 Mar 13.
Meaningful engagement is a key dimension of quality of life among persons living with dementia, yet little is known about how to best to promote it. Guided by grounded theory methods, we present analysis of data collected over a 1-year period in four diverse assisted living (AL) communities as part of the study, "Meaningful Engagement and Quality of Life among Assisted Living Residents with Dementia." Our aims are to: (a) learn how meaningful engagement is negotiated among AL residents with dementia and their care partners; and (b) identify how to create these positive encounters. Researchers followed 33 residents and 100 care partners (formal and informal) and used participant observation, resident record review, and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis identified "engagement capacity" as central to the negotiation of meaningful engagement. We conclude that understanding and optimizing the engagement capacities of residents, care partners, care convoys, and settings, are essential to creating and enhancing meaningful engagement among persons living with dementia.
有意义的参与是痴呆症患者生活质量的一个重要维度,但对于如何最好地促进这种参与,人们知之甚少。本研究采用扎根理论方法,分析了在“辅助生活中的有意义参与和痴呆症居民的生活质量”研究中,在四个不同的辅助生活社区中,为期一年收集的数据。我们的目的是:(a)了解痴呆症辅助生活居民及其护理伙伴是如何协商有意义的参与的;以及 (b)确定如何创造这些积极的接触。研究人员跟踪了 33 名居民和 100 名护理伙伴(正式和非正式),并使用了参与观察、居民记录审查和半结构化访谈。数据分析确定“参与能力”是协商有意义参与的核心。我们得出的结论是,了解和优化居民、护理伙伴、护理团队和环境的参与能力,对于创造和增强痴呆症患者的有意义参与至关重要。