Preserving personhood: (Re)membering the spouse with dementia

Preserving the personhood of one's partner emerged as a guiding directive for spouses caring for a partner with dementia. Oil the basis of data from open-ended interviews with 38 husband and wife caregivers, four strategies that facilitate this directive were identified: maintaining continuity, sustaining existing competencies, protecting the partner from incompetence, and strategizing public encounters. From a social constructionist perspective, the focus oil preserving the personhood of the partner with dementia promotes more holistic, person-centered care. However, it-hen examined independently, each of the strategies used to achieve this goal can present both challenges and opportunities for the spouse caregiver.