Meaning in life and identity in patients with severe dementia in Norway: a qualitative study

Care for persons with severe dementia in highly specialised healthcare in Norway is guided by person-centred care. However, little research has explored healthcare professionals’ perspectives on meaning in life in this patient group. This qualitative study investigated how healthcare professionals recognise experiences of meaning in life among patients with severe dementia. The research question was: How do healthcare professionals, working in a dementia unit in highly specialised healthcare, recognise experiences of meaning in life in patients with severe dementia? An exploratory design was used, drawing on data from focus group interviews with professionals trained and experienced in dementia care. An inductive approach was used to analyse the data, guided by Schnell’s theory of meaning in life as an analytical lens. The findings show that meaning was recognised and responded to in several ways: through bodily activities that created meaning and reinforced identity, underscoring the importance of embodied expressions and interactions; by supporting what mattered to each individual patient, highlighting the value of personalised and attuned care; and during moments of crisis, which were interpreted as signs of ongoing struggles for identity and meaning. By incorporating professionals’ perspectives and experience-based knowledge, the psychology of meaning helped deepen the understanding of person-centred care and how it can be practised with this patient group. More research is needed to develop scholarly knowledge that enables professionals to distinguish more precisely between different aspects of meaning in life and intervene effectively in diverse care situations.