An exploration into the experiences of the care assistants working with the sufferers of dementia

Authors

Dunne, Aislinn

Issue Date

2014

Degree

BA (Hons) in Social Science

Publisher

Dublin Business School

Rights

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Abstract

The aim of the research was to explore the experiences of the care assistants working with the sufferers of dementia. In order to answer the research question “how does care work with dementia sufferers affect the care assistants, a qualitative method was adopted. Eight in-depth semi structured interviews were conducted using an all female sample. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, aided by Nvivo 10 software, in which five main themes of the study were identified. The findings of the research portrayed a variety of both shared and individual experiences of the care assistants, highlighting the diversity surrounding dementia care. The researcher found both similarities and disparities when comparing past research results to the current research findings, which are discussed in detail within the discussion section of the research. A variety of limitations and recommendations for further research are addressed in said section.