Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2025

The Immersive Cleveland Clinic Virtual Reality Shopping Platform for the Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Published on: July 28, 2022
Occupational therapists' experiences of working with people with dementia: a qualitative study
Johannes Österholm1, Åsa Larsson Ranada1
1Unit of Occupational Therapy, Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Background:
Dementia is an age-related disease associated with complex health and care needs. Due to demographical shifts, the number of older people with dementia is forecasted to increase. Occupational therapists encounter people with dementia in their daily work, yet little is known about their experience of working with people with dementia.
Aim/Objectives:
To explore occupational therapist's experiences of working with people with dementia.
Material And Methods:
Ten occupational therapists were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results:
The results are presented in five different themes: Working with persons who do not recognise decline in their abilities; Saving-face of the person in assessment situations; Facilitating continued engagement in everyday activities; Utilising information provided by care staff; Balancing different preferences on how to proceed.
Conclusion:
Occupational therapists perceive a need in their work to employ various face-saving strategies and facilitate engagement in everyday activities. The results are exploratory and additionally research is needed to understand the therapists' experiences of working with persons with dementia.
Significance:
Everyday activities should be tailored to the person's abilities, with an emphasis on facilitating the person in carrying them out rather than the social environment taking them over.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual....
Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
Restorative Care
Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...

