Making Sense of Dementia: Older Adults' Subjective Representations of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11230%2F24%3A10480066" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11230/24:10480066 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=0X_V7~KyhB" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=0X_V7~KyhB</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae056" target="_blank" >10.1093/geronb/gbae056</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Making Sense of Dementia: Older Adults' Subjective Representations of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Objectives: This research explores how the representations and meanings of living with dementia are constructed by older adults.Methods: Focus groups (N = 19) and in-depth interviews (N = 29) were conducted with older adults aged 65+ living in the Czech Republic, representing different levels of personal familiarity with care for an individual experiencing dementia.Results: We identified 2 different discourses: (1) Tragedy discourse with two distinctive repertoires &quot;dementia as a thief of personality&quot; and &quot;dementia as a thief of humanity.&quot; Within such discourse, dementia transcends mere medical terminology, serving as a symbolic representation of existential anxieties linked to aging and the perceived loss of control. (2) The discourse of Dementia as a specific way in which people approach the world was articulated mainly by caregivers, providing them with a coping mechanism and a means to reconstruct the agency of the person experiencing dementia. In older adults&apos; representations, references to suffering among family members emerged as a primary association with dementia. Dementia was portrayed as &quot;contagious&quot; in its effect on the family members who were, in a sense, depicted as the primary sufferers of the disease.Discussion: Dementia often serves as a symbolic tool for older adults to articulate concerns about advanced old age, extending beyond its clinical definition to convey deep-seated fears associated with aging. The experience of people surrounding those diagnosed with dementia and the permeability of the impacts of this disease between bodies represented crucial frameworks for conceptualizing dementia in the narratives of older adults.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Making Sense of Dementia: Older Adults' Subjective Representations of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Popis výsledku anglicky

Objectives: This research explores how the representations and meanings of living with dementia are constructed by older adults.Methods: Focus groups (N = 19) and in-depth interviews (N = 29) were conducted with older adults aged 65+ living in the Czech Republic, representing different levels of personal familiarity with care for an individual experiencing dementia.Results: We identified 2 different discourses: (1) Tragedy discourse with two distinctive repertoires &quot;dementia as a thief of personality&quot; and &quot;dementia as a thief of humanity.&quot; Within such discourse, dementia transcends mere medical terminology, serving as a symbolic representation of existential anxieties linked to aging and the perceived loss of control. (2) The discourse of Dementia as a specific way in which people approach the world was articulated mainly by caregivers, providing them with a coping mechanism and a means to reconstruct the agency of the person experiencing dementia. In older adults&apos; representations, references to suffering among family members emerged as a primary association with dementia. Dementia was portrayed as &quot;contagious&quot; in its effect on the family members who were, in a sense, depicted as the primary sufferers of the disease.Discussion: Dementia often serves as a symbolic tool for older adults to articulate concerns about advanced old age, extending beyond its clinical definition to convey deep-seated fears associated with aging. The experience of people surrounding those diagnosed with dementia and the permeability of the impacts of this disease between bodies represented crucial frameworks for conceptualizing dementia in the narratives of older adults.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

50401 - Sociology

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/GA21-16738S" target="_blank" >GA21-16738S: Společenské vnímání demence: kulturní reprezentace a subjektivní postoje</a><br>

Návaznosti

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences

ISSN

1079-5014

e-ISSN

1758-5368

Svazek periodika

79

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

6

Stát vydavatele periodika

US - Spojené státy americké

Počet stran výsledku

8

Strana od-do

1-8

Kód UT WoS článku

001221980300009

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85193727445