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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Suffering in silence: the experience of early memory loss | | Author(s) | Petra Robinson, Sirkka-Liisa Ekman, Afaf Ibrahim Meleis |
| Journal title | Health Care in Later Life, vol 2, no 2, May 1997 |
| Pages | pp 107-120 |
| Keywords | Memory and Reminiscence ; Dementia ; Interviewing ; Sweden. |
| Annotation | This article describes the early experience of memory loss among eight individuals in Stockholm, Sweden, who were assessed clinically by a comprehensive memory evaluation because of a perceived gradual loss of memory. A qualitative approach was used, based on interview data, in order to understand and describe the situation from the sufferer's perspective. The findings demonstrate how a patterned sequence of unfolding stages was identified in the interview data, through which the participants moved before seeking professional help, revealing the overall concept of 'suffering in silence'. These stages included experiencing forgetfulness, a recognition that 'something is wrong', and a search for meaning. During the process of seeking help, strategies were used to compensate for the memory loss, to maintain a sense of competence and to prevent others from recognising their difficulties. Since stages of memory loss in patients with dementia disease have mainly been described from a medicopathological perspective, the focus of this study was shifted towards understanding the subjective experiences of persons confronting early memory loss. |
| Accession Number | CPA-980212228 A |
| Classmark | DB: EA: 3DL: 76P |
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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