Value in Individuals with Early Stage Alzheimers Disease
Location
CSU North Ballroom
Start Date
24-4-2006 1:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2006 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Psychology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Jeffrey A. Buchanan
Mentor's Department
Psychology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
Much of the literature on early-stage dementia deals with either the family members or the caregivers of the afflicted individual. The goal of this study was to contribute to the very limited amount of research on dementia from the perspective of the patient. The study had two purposes. The first was to examine the experience of living with early stage dementia from the patient's perspective. The other purpose was to evaluate the values of individuals with early stage dementia to obtain more information about what is important to the specific individual. A total of 8 individuals (5 men and 3 women) participated in the study, ranging in age from 61 to 94 years. All 8 individuals completed the survey about their values, constructed by the authors, and 5 of the 8 individuals participated in the interview portion of the study. The values survey included 22 values that participants were verbally asked to rate according to how important they were in their daily life. The values survey was completed twice, each time being one week apart. The interview portion consisted of questions regarding the experience of recognizing memory difficulties and its effect on the individual's daily life. Date analysis is currently underway and involves examining trends in the rating of values between participants as well as investigating themes present across participants in the interviews. Implications of this study may involve a better understanding of how dementia affects patients and how patients cope with dementia. In addition, having a better understanding of a patient's values may enhance professional caregivers' ability to have meaningful interactions with patients and provide better care.
Value in Individuals with Early Stage Alzheimers Disease
CSU North Ballroom
Much of the literature on early-stage dementia deals with either the family members or the caregivers of the afflicted individual. The goal of this study was to contribute to the very limited amount of research on dementia from the perspective of the patient. The study had two purposes. The first was to examine the experience of living with early stage dementia from the patient's perspective. The other purpose was to evaluate the values of individuals with early stage dementia to obtain more information about what is important to the specific individual. A total of 8 individuals (5 men and 3 women) participated in the study, ranging in age from 61 to 94 years. All 8 individuals completed the survey about their values, constructed by the authors, and 5 of the 8 individuals participated in the interview portion of the study. The values survey included 22 values that participants were verbally asked to rate according to how important they were in their daily life. The values survey was completed twice, each time being one week apart. The interview portion consisted of questions regarding the experience of recognizing memory difficulties and its effect on the individual's daily life. Date analysis is currently underway and involves examining trends in the rating of values between participants as well as investigating themes present across participants in the interviews. Implications of this study may involve a better understanding of how dementia affects patients and how patients cope with dementia. In addition, having a better understanding of a patient's values may enhance professional caregivers' ability to have meaningful interactions with patients and provide better care.
Recommended Citation
Thisius, Lindsey A.. "Value in Individuals with Early Stage Alzheimers Disease." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 24, 2006.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2006/poster-session-C/1
