Flourishing of the self while caregiving for a person with Dementia: A case study of education, counseling, and psychosocial support via email

Abstract

In this qualitative, longitudinal case study, spanning close to three years, the dynamic experience of a spousal caregiver of a man diagnosed with dementia is examined. Frequent email communication constituted the main source of education, counseling and psychosocial support provided to the caregiver who, initially, experienced feelings of helplessness, frustration, low self-esteem and great stress. During the years of this ongoing study, she experienced a flourishing of the self, despite the fact that her husband was placed in a nursing home approximately seven months after our association began. Critical aspects of her evolving experience included her developing an understanding of her husband’s intact memory making abilities and selfhood, his subjective experience and point of view, effective communication strategies, and her desire to enhance his quality of life in the nursing home. Her experience is discussed in terms of Social Construction Theory and the idea of Locus of Control (LOC).