A recent study was conducted on how people assimilated to life after being diagnosed with dementia. Six individuals were interviewed and they shared their difficulties and struggles in life, comparing life before and after the diagnosis. Their accounts of life and memory problems were analyzed using the verbal Markers of Assimilation of Problematic Voices Scale. The study and analysis determined that after individuals were diagnosed they were better able to talk about the struggles they endured, both before and after the diagnosis, in that the diagnosis offered a reasoning and explanation to their struggles. It was determined that social support services, such as support groups and other services, are an integral part to helping dementia patients and families maintain a positive sense of self when dealing with the disease.
Key Points:
- 1The paradox of dementia: Changes in assimilation after receiving a diagnosis of dementia
- 2Social support seems to have been crucial in enabling participants to sustain a positive sense of self in the face of this adjustment.
- 3The process by which individuals were able to integrate a dementia diagnosis into their sense
This analysis indicated that after diagnosis some participants were able to integrate aspects of their illness that had previously been too painful, and which had been warded off.
Read the full article at: https://dem.sagepub.com/content/15/2/181.abstract?rss=1
Reply