The Lifeworld as Phenomenon and as Research Heuristic, Exemplified by a Study of the Lifeworld of a Person Suffering Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

The carer of the person with dementia is enjoined to maintain respect, and to reinforce this a bill of rights has been established (Bell and Troxel, 1994). Of course, talk of rights does not guarantee respectful behaviour. In this paper it is argued that the discovery that the sufferer continues to be a person, with a unique lifeworld, can assist the carer to conform willingly to the demand that they act respectfully.The current research project makes central the idiographic description of the individual case.