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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Lying in dementia care
— an example of a culture that deceives in people's best interests | | Author(s) | Ruth Elvish, Ian James, Derek Milne |
| Journal title | Aging & Mental Health, vol 14, no 3, April 2010 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis, April 2010 |
| Pages | pp 255-262 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Attitude ; Communication ; Care home staff ; Questionnaires ; Social surveys ; North West England. |
| Annotation | Deceiving, bending the truth and being dishonest are all terms used for the act of lying. The use of deception in health settings has a rich cross-cultural history. In relation to dementia, firstly, an article by N S Blum, 'Deceptive practices in managing a family member with Alzheimer's disease' (in: Symbolic Interaction, vol 17, no 1, 1994, pp 21-36) distinguished between four kinds of lies used by staff: 'going along with a misperception', 'with-holding the truth', 'little white lies' and 'use of tricks'. That article examined the issue of deception, developing a questionnaire to investigate attitudes towards lying to people with dementia. Secondly, information on the use of lies was presented within a workshop to determine whether it would lead to attitude change. The present study used a two-phased design. The first phase involved developing a 16-item questionnaire with 44 staff participants from care home settings in North West England. The second phase validated the use of the questionnaire through a workshop; therapists' responses to a teaching programme were assessed. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire are reported. Following the workshop, participants were found to have a more positive attitude towards the use of lies. The reasons underpinning changes in attitude are discussed. This study contributes to a more informed understanding regarding both the definition and use of lies. On the whole, participants developed a less generic perspective about lying, becoming more supportive of lies when used in specific situations in the best interests of the recipients. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-100909212 A |
| Classmark | EA: DP: U: QRM: 3DA: 3F: 82NW |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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