Narrative Approaches in Dementia Care
Summary
Narrative approaches in dementia care centre on the gathering, preservation and utilisation of personal stories to uphold identity, autonomy and well-being in people living with cognitive decline. By engaging individuals in life story work—through interviews, written accounts, digital platforms or creative media—care providers gain insight into past roles, preferences and values that may otherwise be obscured by memory loss. These narratives inform person-centred care plans, guide therapeutic interactions and foster meaningful relationships between care staff, family members and those with dementia. Beyond improving communication, narrative interventions have been linked to reductions in behavioural distress, enhanced mood and strengthened family bonds. Ethical considerations and methodological rigour are essential to ensure authenticity, consent and respect for shifting capacities. As the field evolves, digital tools and co-design processes are enabling more accessible and dynamic life story documentation, while critical examination of standardised templates highlights the need for clarity of purpose and flexibility. Globally, narrative care is recognised as a core component of best practice, bridging clinical, social and cultural dimensions to honour personhood throughout the trajectory of dementia.
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Narrative Approaches in Dementia Care publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in narrative approaches in dementia care across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Life story work: A structured process of collecting and recording an individual’s personal history to inform care and promote personhood.
Narrative medicine: A holistic approach that recognises patients’ stories as essential to understanding their experiences and guiding therapeutic decision-making.
Person-centred care: A philosophy that places the individual’s values, preferences and life context at the core of all caregiving activities.
Life story templates: Predefined formats or question sets used to elicit personal narratives, which may vary in structure, purpose and adaptability.
References
- Enhancing Caregiver Empowerment Through the Story Mosaic System: Human-Centered Design Approach for Visualizing Older Adult Life Stories. JMIR Aging (2023).
- Life story templates in dementia care: Ambiguous direction and purpose. Dementia (2024).
- Developing a Life Story Intervention for Older Adults With Dementia or at Risk of Delirium Who Were Hospitalized: Multistage, Stakeholder-Engaged Co-Design Study. JMIR Aging (2024).
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