Development of narrative-based practices for increased dignity and participation in elderly care

Research problem and specific questionsIntensifying the need for practical knowledge about how a person-centered approach can be integrated and deepened is the rise of standardization s in health and social care for older persons.

Research, theory, and national guidelines identify unrealized potential and importance of "narratively organized" everyday life as central to enacting human values ​​such as dignity and participation.

The overall purpose is to contribute in-depth knowledge on how narrativity in everyday life and care can be integrated into working methods and organizational preparedness for the participation and dignity of older persons when they need care.

Four research questions will address: the nature of, and co-creation of narratively engaged care among patients, staff, and family; its benefits and limitations: development of a model prototype from findings.

Data and methodCollaborative and process-oriented strategies and the MRC/NIHR guidelines for the development of complex interventions, will use qualitative and process-oriented methods triangulating data from older people, staff and management.Relevance and utilizationThe project contributes to new knowledge about narrativity in relation to person-centeredness, meaning, dignity and how narrative practice can be integrated into ordinary care.

Furthermore, the project contributes to increased understanding of how practice leadership and social learning can support such integration.

The focus will be on developing working methods to bring this new knowledge into actual practice.Plan for project realizationWe intend to involve two groups; partly elderly people with newly diagnosed dementia who live in ordinary housing, partly elderly people with complex conditions and/or mental illness who live in nursing homes, for co-created knowledge about ideals around good meetings, how co-planning of interventions, as well as space to tell, to be heard and understood.

We also intend to involve staff in elderly care and management representatives in the development of working methods for a more equal, participatory, and dignified ageing.

At the same time, we plan to study conditions for implementation, so that the model is designed in a way that makes it possible to apply.

Next, we will synthesize collected knowledge and design a prototype for `Narratively Engaged Care´´ that can be integrated within health and social care, care units or nursing homes.