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Living with the demented: experiences and recommendations of elderly non-demented nursing home residents

University of British Columbia

This study was designed to investigate the experiences and recommendations of elderly non-demented nursing home residents regarding living with the demented, or integration. It was designed to provide descriptive information about the nature and amount of residents' awareness of the demented within their nursing homes, the lifestyle impacts of integration, residents' affective/attitudinal responses to integration, and their integration policy recommendations. A purposive sample of 102 non-demented residents of five Vancouver nursing homes completed a newly-devised client-centered questionnaire. Uni-variate and bi-variate data analysis was done. The results of this study indicate that almost all residents (93%) had some contact with the demented, two thirds (63%) on a daily basis. A lesser number (81%) thought about the demented, half of those (41%) daily. A roughly even split occurred between those with no demented friends (47%) and those with at least one (53%). Most residents (72%) reported that integration had minimal negative impact upon their lifestyle. One in four residents(28%), however, experienced disruption to their daily routines and/or made a conscious effort to modify their lifestyle within the nursing home on a regular basis. Just over half of the residents (54%) had a neutral affective/attitudinal response to integration, and among those who were not neutral (46%), a pattern emerged of residents feeling unhappiness, dislike, unease, and pessimism, but also not ashamed. Four out of five residents (81%) recommended an integration policy that incorporated some degree of separation. Increased contact was directly related to increased thought about the demented, pessimism, and feeling unsafe. Those with at least one demented friend tended to feel slightly more at ease, to like integration, and to recommend it. Those who recommended separation also tended to avoid the demented and social/recreational activities with them, to feel uneasy, unsafe, ashamed, pessimistic, and unhappy about integration, and to dislike living with the demented. These findings raise question about the suitability of integration for the non-demented. Further client-centered research is recommended to investigate more fully the multi-dimensional effects of integration upon the non-demented and the preferences of this population regarding this crucial determinant of their social environment.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-01-19

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/3792

Social Work

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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