Open AccessMetaphors for the Meaning of Caring for a Spouse with Dementia
Author(s) -
Kirsten Thorsen,
Aud Johannessen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of multidisciplinary healthcare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1178-2390
DOI - 10.2147/jmdh.s289104
Subject(s) - spouse , dementia , meaning (existential) , feeling , psychology , existentialism , narrative , metaphor , health care , qualitative research , psychological intervention , social psychology , disease , psychotherapist , medicine , sociology , psychiatry , epistemology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , pathology , anthropology , economics , economic growth
Spouses of people with young-onset frontotemporal dementia (YO-FTD) (age 65 years or younger) encounter special challenges. The diagnosis is scarcely known; the early onset is unexpected; and the disease is characterized by symptoms varying from those of other types of dementia. Caring implies increasing hardships, which can be difficult to communicate to others when applying for support. Metaphors create and communicate meaning and are increasingly used in health care and health interventions as ways to better understand the situation.