This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire PubMed PubMed Citation

Utilization of Self-Identity Roles for Designing Interventions for Persons With Dementia

¹ Research Institute on Aging of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland.
² George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC.
³ Department of Nursing, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.

Address correspondence to Jiska Cohen-Mansfield, PhD, Director, Research Institute on Aging, Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, 6121 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852. E-mail: cohen-mansfield{at}hebrew-home.org

To date, little research has systematically explored the retention of self-identity in dementia and its potential use for the individualization of care. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of role-identity-based treatment for persons with dementia. We recruited a total of 93 elderly persons with dementia (mean Mini-Mental State Exam score = 10.58) for this study. Experimental (treatment) group participants were engaged in activities designed to correspond to each participant's most salient self-identity. The treatment group showed a significant increase in interest, pleasure, and involvement in activities, fewer agitated behaviors during treatment, and increased orientation in the treatment period. The experimental treatment had effects that were superior to those of the nonexperimental activities. The results highlight the powerful roles that perception of self and fulfillment of self-identity play in overall well-being.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Clare, J. Rowlands, E. Bruce, C. Surr, and M. Downs The Experience of Living With Dementia in Residential Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Gerontologist, December 1, 2008; 48(6): 711 - 720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]