title: Continuity and Change in Life Engagement Among People With Dementia.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the change and continuity in the engagement in life of people with advanced dementia. The idea of meaningful activities is commonly used in nursing research, but few studies have been performed on what makes activities meaningful. This study aims to shed light on the meaning of activities in a life course context, changes in activity patterns due to dementia disease, and the significance of narratives told by close relatives. The 11 stories of activities were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis with Leontyev's activity theory as a theoretical framework. The findings revealed several types of changes: slow and abrupt changes in everyday and physical activities, changes in the person's level of awareness, and changes in habits in new care settings and environments. The meaningfulness of activities was connected to a person's background, his/her motives, lifestyle and identity, and the contextuality of activities. Through the narratives, nursing care personnel could acquire a nuanced picture of the person and his/her engagement in life. These narratives are vital to helping people who have dementia to keep up with meaningful activities and enhance their quality of life, especially when the person has deficiencies in communication.
authors.affiliation: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway kirsti.i.kuosa@uit.no.
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuosa
authors.affiliation: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingunn
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Elstad
authors.affiliation: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway.
authors.forename: Hans Ketil
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Normann
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D018939:Holistic Nursing; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: activities; dementia, family; gerontologic nursing; life story; narrative; nursing interventions; older adults