Personhood communication with persons with dementia: Concept analysis

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aimed to clarify the meaning of personhood communication with persons with dementia, by identifying its attributes. Methods: Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method was employed. A literature review was performed using salient medical and health databases such as PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL between 1988 to June 2020. The literature review employed keywords such as “personhood”, “communication”, and “dementia”. Results: Personhood communication with persons with dementia is defined as providing social interaction based on their residual capacities, with adjustments being made in light of their remaining communication abilities, attentiveness to their emotions and respect for their individuality being shown, and decision-making rights being maintained. Conclusion: At the core of personhood communication is respect for persons with dementia and the goal of enabling them to be valid members of society. Further research is needed on the development of educational programs that impart the attributes of personhood communication with persons with dementia.