Levels of Personhood: A Model for Dementia Care

“Personhood” is a concept that may be seen as insignificant to health care delivery, yet it has strong relevance to people suffering from dementia in nursing home settings. When the dementia disease process negatively affects residents’ cognition, memory, and the ability to communicate effectively, nursing home caregivers may approach care in a paternalistic manner, similar to a parent's authority over a child. Based on attributes of personhood identified in the literature, 3 levels of personhood are defined, discussed, and related to the naturally occurring dementia disease progression. Challenges to, and benefits of, the promotion of personhood in current nursing home dementia care are discussed. The author proposes a Personhood Model for Dementia Care that is based on the 3 identified levels of personhood. The model provides a structure for organizing existing person-centered interventions and strategies in dementia care. In addition, the proposed model provides a framework for understanding and testing the potential value and significance of future person-centered interventions as they are developed and implemented.