Between 1999 and 2009, I followed three of my grandparents, all of whom suffered from Dementia. Numerous times, when I visited them in their nursing homes, I was met by residents of the ward who were very unhappy. Through conversations at home with my family, I understood more and more that this was a commonly occurring problem at nursing homes. All too often it was solved with heavy medication, which made the residents tired and they slept more often.During my undergraduate education at Konstfack, I have reflected on whether I, as an interior designer and furniture designer, can have an influence on spaces and furniture so that Dementia patients can experience greater calm and security. The idea is if that I perceive the environment as calm and secure, I will also be calm and secure.In my degree project, I want to study how interior design and furniture design can contribute to decreased agitation in people with Dementia in nursing homes..

Background: The amount of elderly patients who?s suffering from dementhia increases every year. Many of these patients develop and decrease in their cognitive ability. The development can lead to people's communication skills deteriorate. It can be a problem for the nurse to communicate with these patients.

The purpose of this essay is to examine how health care staff, in Dementia care, feel that their work situation is affected by using two methods which are specifically designed for use in work with elderly persons suffering from Dementia: validation and reminiscense.To examine this, we used a qualitative research method in the form of semistructured interviews with 6 assistant nurses/nurses. These nurses work in a living with Dementia targeting which have recently applied the above two methods. Of the results reveals that nursing staff feel positive effects in their work through the use of validation and reminiscense. Examples of these positive effects are greater inclusiveness and strengthen relations in the staff group, strengthen relations between staff and residents, reduced medication of soothing medicine and improved communication with the persons suffering from Dementia. The results show that nursing staff feel that it can be difficult to absorb the working methods, the importance of sufficient time and continuous guidance in the exercise of the methods and the need for a genuine interest for them to generate positive effects.

The purpose of the study was to describe how care givers experience working with people who suffer from Dementia and acting out behaviour and to illustrate the importance of the care givers approach. Sixteen caregivers were interviewed from different nursing homes in the middle of Sweden. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The result is divided into two content areas. The analysis of the first content area, care givers experiences of meeting people with Dementia and acting out behaviour, resulted in three categories, which deals with the approach.

Background Being outdoors on a regular basis is beneficial for all individuals, people with Dementia who is living in special accommodation have not always that possibility. If the person with Dementia live in a stimulating environment can contribute to the person's functions are maintained. Aim To provide a basis for evaluation of a new outdoor environment at a special accommodation for people with Dementia. Method of data collection in action research was done through focus group with staff on the accommodation and the participants in the project, a total of five informants. Results Informants thoughts and experiences were analyzed and divided into three main categories to describe the project - design, obstacles and goals.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how family members perceive family support, and to gain a deeper understanding of how the relatives' part is affected by the Dementia ill person. The result has been produced by semi-structured interviews with five respondents interviewed individually. The respondents who participated in the study, care for the Dementia sufferer husband / wife at home, or the husband / wife has moved to a special housing. The result includes the perception of being a relative of a person with Dementia, how they experience support from various parties, if there are any differences between men and women as well as the importance of communication and attitude. Overall it was shown that relatives often felt a sense of security and that they were satisfied with the support they received from the various parties.

Physical activity can reduce the risk of developing Dementia, and studies show that people who already have some form of the disease can get a better memory function and find it easier to perform daily tasks if the activity is performed regularly. People who are diagnosed with Dementia are generally not offered physical activity to a high extent, nor is there a wide range of equipment developed to suit the target group.The Bike Around project was launched during a workshop in Copenhagen and was organized by HCH and Techna Science with the aim to develop new training equipment for people with Dementia. The workshop resulted in the development of a customized training bike where the user can get a biking experience from his wheelchair or favorite chair. By integrating the pedal movement with a prerecorded movie projected on a screen, the memory can be stimulated both visually and by the activity itself.Our assignment in the project consisted of three parts: design of the bike, movie playback and software programming. During the project a prototype has been created that meets the requirements of ergonomics and usability..

ABSTRACT Background: Aging and losing cognitive and physical functions is difficult. To also be affected by Dementia means that you lose some part of your identity and the ability to take care of yourself. It is important to find alternative, non-pharmacological ways to increase health for the elderly and those who are affected by Dementia. When dogs are used for therapeutic purposes in health care it is roughly divided into two different forms; AAA (Animal Assisted Activity) and AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy). AAI (Animal Assisted Intervention) is also used as a term, in which AAT is included.

This thesis puts together general guidelines for the design of outdoor environment at nursing homes for people with Dementia. The goal is to give the residents a greater quality of life with the garden.The garden must be safe and secure while offering places for fellowship or retirement and experiences of joy and competence. The plant material and other elements in the garden are inserted to stimulate the senses and to inspire to different activities. The paper describes the health promoting effects of nature and gardens by referring to scientific studies. These studies encompass the impact of nature on all human beings as well as how the outdoor environment affects our target group, elderly people with Dementia. An essential part of the work focus on the conditions in a garden for people with Dementia, on the contact between residence and garden and the access to surrounding life. Eventually, the general guidelines are applied to a real building project ? the Vega project in Lomma,a new nursing home for persons with Dementia.

Abstract          Background: End of life is difficult to establish in patients with Dementia and many patients die due to complications related to the disease. To document that care are palliative in this group of patients is not common among nurses and physicians. This may depend on that the palliative course is extended and not similar to the palliative course common among patients with cancer. Aim: To describe how the registered staff in nursing homes document the care of persons with Dementia in a late palliative phase. Method: A retrospective record study with a deductive approach.

Background: Pain can be a constant problem in many older people's daily life, associated with particular physical and social disability, depression and poor quality of life. Dementia diseases are often associated with old age. Communication difficulties are one of the consequences of the disease, which clarifies the role of nursing staff in detecting and assessing pain. Objective: The aim was to compile knowledge about how nursing staff can identify pain in people with Dementia. Method: A systematic literature review, where data were collected through manual and database searches.

Constipation is a common problem for people with Dementia and it may result in discomfort, suffering and lower quality of life. Nurses in municipal nursing homes have difficult to observe and prevent these problems because they do not participate in the daily caring work. The aim of this study was to illustrate the nurse assistants? reflections about the care they gave people with Dementia and constipation. Main questions vas how they became aware of such problems and what they did when someone had problem with constipation.

Constipation is a common problem for people with Dementia and it may result in discomfort, suffering and lower quality of life. Nurses in municipal nursing homes have difficult to observe and prevent these problems because they do not participate in the daily caring work. The aim of this study was to illustrate the nurse assistants? reflections about the care they gave people with Dementia and constipation. Main questions vas how they became aware of such problems and what they did when someone had problem with constipation.

The purpose with this study was to examine how persons giving care to their spouses with Dementia experience their life situation. As information source we used a qualitative study which included halfstructured interview questions. The study took place in three municipalities in the south of Sweden. Three females and two males took part in the study and everyone had experiences of giving care to their spouces with Dementia. We used a coping theory and an exchange theory.

The purpose of this study was to examine how the design of the wards, at Björnkulla nursing home, affects the residents? wayfinding ability and autonomy. Thus, the aim has been to make a design proposal that, trough color and design can increase the residents? chance to independent mobility. Since the study aimed to examine how the environment affect and can support people with Dementia, qualitative methods were used.