Abstract(s)
This article describes the social positioning of older people living with Alzheimer’s disease
who scream in a long-term care home. Few studies have focused on the social positions
taken by older people, their family and formal caregivers during interaction and their
effects on screams. A secondary data analysis was conducted using Harré and Van
Langenhove’s positioning theory. The results show that older people are capable of
positioning and repositioning themselves in relational patterns. Family and formal
caregivers position older people who scream according to their beliefs about their lived
experience. They also react emotionally to older people and try to influence their behaviors.
Understanding the social positioning of older people with Alzheimer’s disease brought out
their capacities and their caregivers’ concerns for their well-being. Interventions should
focus on these strengths and on promoting healthy relations in the triads to enhance quality
of care in long-term care homes.