Developing awareness and understanding amongst mental health nursing students of the lived experience of dementia with the aid of selected first-person media resources

Abstract

This study examines the influence that first-person media products (film, television, internet, books and newspapers) have upon promoting empathic understanding of the dementia experience amongst mental health nursing students. A designated mental health nursing learning group (n=36) was provided with a series of media products where personal dementia narratives were expressed. A grounded theory approach was used with focus group interviews conducted following each of the five designated media activities. This generated a variety of themes and concepts which were analysed in conjunction with responses from a subsequently distributed questionnaire and module evaluation. The first-person narratives were viewed as having a strong emotive impact upon students as well as promoting a broader understanding of how dementia impacts upon a person’s day-to-day life and the experience of family and carers. This facilitated the reframing of behaviours commonly considered ‘challenging’ with more of a person’s internal experience being recognised. A common concern, despite the stated value of these resources regarded the potential in becoming overwhelmed by informational and emotional content. This study highlighted the need for facilitators to carefully select first-person products with consideration shown to the expressiveness of narrators and the range and type of experience recounted. It also indicated the importance of adequately preparing students for what they were accessing and subsequently assisting them in processing the lived dementia experience. Whilst only accessing a small sample of narratives, all students expressed feeling better prepared for practice and having a more questioning and reflective approach towards the internal experience of those they were engaged with. This approach has much to offer from an attitudinal perspective and could form the base for training packages involved with dementia learning, especially given the current drive towards person-centred, compassionate and ‘caring’ practice. Further study in this area is required.