The lived experiences of elderly dementia patients in Taiwan

Abstract

The lived experiences of elderly dementia patients are affected by their cultural beliefs. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of elderly dementia patients in Taiwan in order to understand how they view their lives given the cognitive impairments that they suffer from. A descriptive phenomenological approach was undertaken in 12 elderly dementia patients who were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's analysis method. Five main themes emerged from the narratives: (i) distress caused by inability to remember; (ii) counteracting memory loss; (iii) worry about being a burden to family; (iv) cherishing the current situation and gaining respect; and (v) adopting a dispassionate view about life and death. The traditions of filial piety in Chinese culture were reflected in the experiences of these elderly dementia patients. Elderly dementia patients experienced inconveniences in their daily lives due to marked impairments in memory functions, and they even doubted their own independent capabilities. To counteract their disease, many elderly dementia patients developed self‐contained approaches to handle their loss of memories. While they were worried about being a burden to their families, they also valued their current situation. They were comforted by being taken care of by their children, and they adopted a dispassionate view about life and death issues. For the care of elderly dementia patients, besides reducing the inconveniences brought about by cognitive impairments, there is also a need to pay attention to the deterioration of their physical bodily functions in order to intervene in their lives holistically.

Suicide Among Older Adults with Dementia: Effect of Korea’s Long- Term Care Insurance System

“…This is consistent with the results of previous studies that the effects of a national system or community program could contribute to the mental health of dementia patients [34,35]. Older people also experience depression as they age and feel isolated, especially when they perceive themselves as being burdensome to others [11,12]. Thus, they have a lower suicide rate when they are protected in a facility and cared for in a space where communication with the people around them is relatively high.…”

“…According to the interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior, the most dangerous aspect of suicidal desire is the coexistence of both a thwarted belongingness-feeling disconnected from a social relationship-and a perceived burdensomeness-perceiving oneself as a burden on others [11]. Patients with dementia feel alienated from social events and conversations concerning family or friends, and think that they are not helpful or are burdensome to others due to their memory loss [12]. In other words, such patients are a vulnerable group exposed to suicidal thoughts and risks due to worries about the characteristics of the disease.…”

Is Suicide of Older Adults With Dementia Preventable? Evaluation of the Effect of Long-term Care Insurance System

“…This is consistent with previous studies indicating that the effects of the national system or community program could contribute to the mental health of dementia patients [32,33]. Older people also experience depression as they age and feel isolated, especially when they have feelings of perceived burdensomeness to others [10,11]. Thus, they had a lower suicide rate when they were protected in a facility and served in a space where communication with people around them was relatively high.…”

“…According to the interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior, the most dangerous aspect of suicidal desire is the coexistence of both a thwarted belongingness, i.e., feeling disconnected from a social relationship, and a perceived burdensomeness, i.e., perceiving oneself as a burden to others [10]. Patients with dementia feel alienated from social events and conversations concerning family or friends, and think that they are not helpful or are burdensome to others due to their memory loss [11]. In other words, dementia patients are a vulnerable group exposed to suicidal thoughts and risks due to worries about the disease characteristics.…”

Suicide among Older Adults with Dementia: Effects of Korea’s Long-Term Care Insurance System

“…Several studies have verified the cause of suicide in older people with dementia at the individual level [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. According to the interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior, the most dangerous aspect of suicidal desire is the coexistence of both a thwarted belongingness-feeling disconnected from a social relationship-and a perceived burdensomeness-perceiving oneself as a burden on others [14].…”