Abusive Interactions: Research in Locked Wards for People with dementia

Citation

Kelly F (2010) Abusive Interactions: Research in Locked Wards for People with dementia. Social Policy and Society, 9 (2), pp. 267-277. https://doi.org/10.1017/S147474640999039X

Abstract
This paper reports on a study in which unique access to 3 locked psycho-geriatric wards of a hospital allowed ethnographic exploration into everyday social worlds of fourteen people with dementia. Findings indicate abusive practice in the wards and show that participants in receipt of such practice responded with self-defence and resistance, but ultimately were defeated. In a development of Sabat’s (2001) Selfs 1-3 framework, I identify how abusive practice arose due to staffs’ inability to recognise different aspects of patients’ self. Recommendations for practice include integrating a developed Selfs 1-3 framework into staff training and evaluating its impact on practice.

Keywords
Dementia; abusive interactions; selfhood; practice development; Dementia Social interaction Case studies; Dementia Institutional care

Journal
Social Policy and Society: Volume 9, Issue 2