Work

From fact to meaning: Care practitioners' hermeneutic competence development in residential care for persons with dementia

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: In long-term care for people with dementia, person-centred care (PCC) is widely promoted as an approach that contributes to the well-being of persons in psycho-geriatric care. The goal of PCC is to acknowledge the personhood of residents and to indicate the responsibility of others to ensure the personhood of persons with dementia. In 2016 and 2018, qualitative empirical research was conducted with the purpose to enhance PCC and meaningful care. Five Dutch nursing homes and a total of eight communities of practice participated in the research project 'People and their Stories'. The aim of this project was to strengthen the hermeneutic competence of care practitioners, with a focus on informal everyday interpersonal interactions between residents and care professionals. This article highlights how care professionals, by enhancing their hermeneutical competence, can do justice to the unique personhood of residents in everyday care practice. Three distinguished features for strengthening the hermeneutic competence of care professionals were formulated: respectful curiosity as a prerequisite, being able to differentiate between fact and meaning, and the awareness of own perspectives and assumptions.

Source: Journal of Aging Studies

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2022.101003

Authors: Ans Vrerink, Gaby Jacobs, André Mulder, Laurens ten Kate

Institutions: University of Humanistic Studies, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,120