The essential dialogue: a Norwegian study of art communication in mental health care.
This study focuses on how semi-structured art dialogues can be used to communicate with older patients with impaired mental health. The study was conducted on a geropsychiatric ward at a university hospital in Norway. To communicate with the patients via works of art, health professionals used semi-structured art dialogues; data were collected by qualitative methods. The findings are based on verbatim quotations regarding the health professionals' experiences of their communication with the patients. Two main categories were identified: the physical domain and the caring domain. Dialogues about figurative as well as nonfigurative art forms were found to stimulate and evoke memories; for some patients, these dialogues were an essential step in creating well-being as well as more-being.
Department of Health, Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
Mette Holme
MH
Ingeberg
Britt-Maj
BM
Wikstrøm
Arild
A
Berg
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D001155:Art Therapy; D003142:Communication; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D009664:Norway; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011788:Quality of Life