Search

Objective: To analyze the meaning of dementia by those affected by it, and to give them a voice. Material and methods: Descriptive phenomenology through interviews with people of both genders who are over 50 years old and living in Tarragona (Spain), with a diagnosis of mild or moderate dementia, mainly related to Alzheimer's disease. Results: Three main themes emerged: 1) normalization of memory loss in early stages as part of the natural aging process; 2) self-awareness of progressive memory decline, which is concealed from others, and 3) adaptation processes and strategies to coexist with their condition after diagnosis. Conclusions: The most evident features were the lack of specialized infrastructures within the health system in terms of care, prevention programs, and early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this document, I intend to narrate my main experiences in a brief and personal way when I started to work as a nurse in a hospital in Tenerife (Spain). These events happened in the second half of 2009. I reflect on the experience and I also try to argue my experiences based on the knowledge that I have acquired by developing a phenomenological doctoral thesis in which I study this event with nurses who begin to work in different health institutions in Tenerife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]