Home Triad: A New Exploration of Home for People Living With Dementia Based on Lefebvre’s Spatial Triad

Abstract

Objectives: This article examines a novel theoretical framework, which we term Home Triad, for research and practice involving people living with dementia (PLWD). Background: Most of the existing home-related research on PLWD focuses on interior modifications, home care interventions and models, place attachment, and/or institutional homelike environments. However, limited studies have examined the meaning of home from PLWD’s perspective, and even fewer have simultaneously considered the individual experience of PLWD, the external power (e.g., the role of design), and their interaction dynamics in the meaning-making process. Methods: We developed home triad based on Lefebvre’s spatial triad. Inspired by Chaudhury’s home story structure, we conducted a life story analysis of a person living with dementia, “Kai,” under four contexts—childhood home, neighborhood and city, daily routine, and attachment—within home triad. Results: Home triad abstracts “home” with a dialectically interconnected relationship of the conceived, perceived, and lived home. Through PLWD’s everyday life, the essence of home is primarily shaped by the interaction between their lived and perceived homes. However, a person’s experiences of and participation in home living activities are also planned and/or regulated by different groups of people (caregivers, designers, and policymakers), who play important roles in the conceived home. Critically examining how PLWD’s lived and perceived home is constrained or enabled through the conceived home deserves greater future research efforts. Conclusion: A systematic examination of the essence of home for PLWD using home triad can facilitate subsequent research and practice that promote PLWD’s health, well-being, and quality of life.