Dissertation Title:

Awakening the Soul of Dementia: A Life Inside

Candidate:

Helen Louise Azzara

Date, Time & Place:

January 3, 2019 at 1:00 pm
South Hall, Lambert Road campus


Abstract

The biomedical model dominating dementia care is based on the negative assumption that persons with dementia have been deprived of their personhood. This study considers a different consciousness of care in which people with dementia are seen as vital human beings with heart and soul. This research explores how creative self-expression can be utilized to maintain the personhood of a person with dementia. The theoretical and philosophical concepts that underpin this research study are based on Kitwood’s person-centered dementia care model. This thesis employs a qualitative research design with a depth-psychological, person-centered and imaginal approach using a single case study. The participant selected was an 88-year-old female with moderate dementia who resided in a nursing facility in Southern California. Data was collected through participatory-observation, one-on-one conversations, a semistructured interview, audio recordings, field notes, arts-based methods and reflexive journals. The data was analyzed by a thematic analysis developed by Braun and Clarke. Four categories, eight themes and one subtheme were revealed. This inquiry also culminated in a written monologue to give primacy to the participant’s own voice in the study. Furthermore, Dewing’s (2008)) process consent model proved to be a valuable approach in gaining informed consent from the participant; thus adding to the literature on obtaining consent from those with dementia. Recommendations for caregivers are suggested in relating to persons with dementia, one not dependent on memory or logic but rather on imagination and love.

Note

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Details
  • Program/Track/Year: Depth Psychology with Specialization in Community Psychology, Liberation Psychology, and Ecopsychology, Track P, 2010
  • Chair: Dr. Lisa Sloan
  • Reader: Dr. Mark Montijo
  • External Reader: Dr. Steve Jacobsen
  • Keywords: Dementia, Person-centered, Creative Self-expression, Imagination, Soul/personhood, Consent, Love