Meaning in life for residents with dementia living in long-term nursing homes
An exploratory qualitative interview-based study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13824338 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Silje Mathea Nylund (0009-0000-4954-6694, Innlandet Hospital Trust), Lars Danbolt (Innlandet Hospital Trust), Lars Johan Danbolt (0000-0001-8839-2886, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society), Ingvild Hjorth Feiring (0009-0000-6493-7802, Innlandet Hospital Trust), Sverre Bergh (0000-0001-9593-2967, Innlandet Hospital Trust), Bjørn Lichtwarck (0000-0002-3763-8134, Innlandet Hospital Trust), Øyvind Kirkevold (0000-0001-5698-5636, Innlandet Hospital Trust), Knut Hestad (0000-0001-6876-9076, Innlandet Hospital Trust, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 311-329 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archive for the Psychology of Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0084-6724 • E-ISSN: 1573-6121 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00846724251357963 |
| OpenAlex | W4413141667 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
Meaning in life is a key aspect of our well-being and is a central issue within the field of existential health. Knowledge is scarce on the experience of meaning in life of people living with dementia. Dementia is defined as loss of memory and other cognitive abilities, reducing the person’s ability to perform activities of daily living. This poses challenges to interviewing and including persons with dementia in qualitative research. In this study we explore how nursing home residents with dementia experience meaning in life, and how they can reflect on this existential question. We used an exploratory qualitative design with semi-structured interviews of ten people with mild to severe dementia living in one nursing home and found that conversations about meaning in life with persons with dementia were feasible. Some memories of the past were told as if they were happening here and now, and some topics were repeated several times throughout the interview. This study highlights the importance of awareness of existential themes and interventions facilitating meaning in life for this population, despite certain challenges to be overcome. The past and present merge, giving their stories a unique character. This holds significance for the moment by providing insight into how cognitive impairment might affect the perception of time. It is important to acknowledge this perspective and understand that meaning in life may be connected to memories and experiences from the past, and that this might be more prominent for this group than others
Alternative medicine · Dementia · Exploratory research · Life review · Long-term care · Meaning (existential · Nursing homes · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Term (time · Aging and Gerontology Research · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Gerontology
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe)
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care
A New Clinical Scale for the Staging of Dementia
The three meanings of meaning in life
Research design
The Psychology of Life Stories
Purpose in Life
What Can We Learn About the Concept of Meaning in Life from Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease? A Directed Content Analysis Study
Horizons of Meaning in Dementia
The Meaning and Purpose Scales (Maps)
Making sense of the meaning literature
Belief in God, Confidence in the Church and Secularization in Scandinavia
The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire in the Norwegian Context
Towards a Theory of Dementia Care
Existential Indifference
| Highly cited | No |
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