Living with a person with Alzheimer's disease: experiences related to everyday occupations.
The aim of this study was to illuminate experiences of daily occupations among spouses living with a person with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study contains phenomenological-hermeneutic interpretation of interviews with eight spouses. The analysis revealed the participants as being in the process of a changing occupational situation. They come to live an occupational life intertwined with their partners' needs. An ongoing process of occupational adjustment is taking place as a response to the changing situation. The spouses were occupied with consequences of their partner's disease. They were striving for occupational meaning and at the same time living with threats to meaningful occupations. It can be concluded that living with a partner with AD is a complex dealing with occupational meaning. This complexity should be considered in interventions.
Persson
Marit
M
Department of Primary Care, County Council of Norrbotten, Sweden. Marit.Persson@nll.se
Zingmark
Karin
K
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*