Smith Colby P, Perkins Molly M, Hepburn Kenneth W, Kavalieratos Dio, Lowers Jane
Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Wesely Woods Health Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
J Appl Gerontol. 2025 Jan 9:7334648241309478. doi: 10.1177/07334648241309478.
More than 4 million people in the United States live alone with cognitive impairment or early dementia, yet research on their experiences is limited. Previous research has shown this population has higher levels of unmet care needs and lower financial resources than their married peers. By exploring the experiences of people living alone with cognitive impairment (PLACI), this research examines the successes and barriers within their journey to inform how interventions can improve their quality of life. We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 PLACI (median age 69, 87% white, and 80% female) to explore perceptions of future care needs and resources. Through a modified ideal-type analysis, participants' thought processes and actions regarding help-seeking were mapped to the five stages of the transtheoretical model. These perspectives suggest opportunities such as connecting them to community social work that could help facilitate their understanding of their needs, help them identify resources, and promote proactive aging.
在美国，有超过400万人独自生活且患有认知障碍或早期痴呆症，但针对他们经历的研究却很有限。先前的研究表明，与已婚同龄人相比，这一群体未得到满足的护理需求更高，经济资源更少。通过探究认知障碍独居者（PLACI）的经历，本研究考察了他们在生活历程中的成功之处与障碍，以了解干预措施如何能改善他们的生活质量。我们对15名认知障碍独居者（年龄中位数为69岁，87%为白人，80%为女性）进行了定性访谈，以探究他们对未来护理需求和资源的看法。通过改良的理想类型分析，将参与者在寻求帮助方面的思维过程和行动映射到跨理论模型的五个阶段。这些观点提出了一些机会，比如将他们与社区社会工作联系起来，这有助于促进他们对自身需求的理解，帮助他们识别资源，并促进积极老龄化。
