7.5.2 Interviewing people living with dementia: Person-centred strategies (290)

Rhonda Knight, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom Rhonda.Knight@uwe.ac.uk

Abstract:

It is only recently that people with dementia have been involved in interviews for qualitative research, as it is now realised that they have much to say about their experience of living with dementia. Interviewing has been defined as an “interactional exchange of dialogue”, and is a tool often used for collecting data within the qualitative research paradigm. It has been described by Burgess (1984:102) as “conversations with a purpose”, thus indicating the relatively informal manner of these interviews (Mason, 2002: 62). Even when the concept of personhood of people with dementia was being developed, Jones (1992) emphasised that because of the very nature of the cognitive impairment, the other person was required to make a greater effort in order to effectively communicate with the person living with dementia. Therefore consideration needs to be given about how to conduct the interview in a such a way that will not only ensue the perspective of the person living with dementia is voiced, but sustains their personhood and ensures the quality of the data collected (Lloyd et al, 2006). Thought needs to be given to the development of the relationship between the researcher and researched, the use of effective and innovative approaches to interviewing, the environment, and the timing and pacing of the interviews. This presentation will describe, from personal experience, the strategies found to be effective when interviewing people living with dementia, which endeavoured to ensure that their personhood was maintained. Sharing my experiences will inform other researchers in the field of dementia care and contribute further to the debate about best practice in qualitative research and how to involve people living with dementia in person-centred research.

Biography:

As a Senior Lecturer and part-time doctoral student in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of the West of England, Bristol, my undergraduate and postgraduate teaching interest is the care of the older person and in particular, the person with dementia. I am a registered nurse, previously working in an acute medical setting specifically for people with dementia. My research interests include staff development using Dementia Care Mapping, listening to people with dementia who are service users, and exploring with people with dementia their experience of eating and drinking.