PERSON-CENTERED DEMENTIA CARE: From Care Theory to Care Practice - How do health personnel and management understand and enact person-centered dementia care in Norwegian nursing homes?

Abstract

Person-centered care has been described as the best way to care for someone with dementia. This approach to care is now on the Norwegian political agenda and is included in mission statements and job descriptions of increasingly many nursing homes. However, it is still unclear whether this way of caring for someone with dementia is actually applied in nursing homes on a daily basis and how much knowledge and training health professionals working in long-term care facilities have on the subject. The present qualitative study is an exploration of the practice and implementation of person-centered care in the context of two Norwegian nursing homes with a person-centered care vision. Through the use of in-depth interviews and observations this study has explored the ways in which person-centered care is understood, enacted or resisted across levels of staff in the daily context of long-term care in Norway. As such, this study uncovered findings related to staff’s understanding and knowledge of person-centered care, the ways in which their understanding was translated into individual practice, but also what challenges they encountered in the implementation of person-centered care. The study reveals a piecemeal practice and implementation of person-centered care, despite the institutions’ commitment and a staff relatively familiar with the underlying principles and values of this care approach. By providing insight into the reality of dementia care in Norwegian nursing homes, and shedding light on the competing demands and values that shape care practices, the findings of this research contribute to the mounting literature on person-centered care implementation in Norway.