The impact of life story work on person-centred care for people with dementia living in long-stay care settings in Ireland

The potential of life story work to add quality to dementia care is widely acknowledged. Whether this potential is always realised in practice and under what circumstances is less clear. This paper explores whether knowing the persons life story enhances healthcare professionals understanding of the person with dementia and whether this understanding impacts on the persons care. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 registered nurses and 12 healthcare assistants who had used life story work with people with dementia living in long-stay care settings. Data were analysed using the constant comparative technique. Engaging in life story work enabled staff to see the person behind the dementia. Understanding (as opposed to knowing) the person with dementias life story changed staffs thinking on what is important when delivering care to people with dementia, with staff giving concrete examples of changes in how they delivered care to the person with dementia and what they considered important when delivering that care. It was concluded that life story work can facilitate a shift to person centred dementia care but how it is implemented matters if this outcome is to be achieved.