Table 2 Some examples illustrating the analysis process
From: Strategies for diversity: medical clowns in dementia care - an ethnographic study
Meaning unit | Code | Category | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
What a handsome guy you have on the photo! He was my husband, replies Karin. He was not so old, she continues. Was he also from Scania (south of Sweden)? Yes, she replies, and proceeds to explain that she had an earlier marriage as well. Was he also from Scania? No, she replies. He was from Värmland | Social interaction starts by giving her attention, pointing out that she has a handsome guy on a photo in her apartment. The person with dementia then continues the conversation and answers properly | Encouragement and confirmation | Being tuned in and attentive |
The medical clowns admired Elsa’s fine fabrics hanging on the wall, and asked if she made these? Yes, she replied. I made them when I worked the night-shift in the hospital. You have been working a lot of night-shifts then, the medical clowns asked. . Elsa responded: Yes, I have. The clowns continued by asking: How do you sleep at night now? As a child, Elsa responded with a smile adding: It is great to see new faces. | Social interaction starts by giving attention and admiring fabrics hanging on the wall in her apartment, asking if she made it herself. The person with dementia then continues the conversation, answers properly and smiles | Encouragement and confirmation | Being tuned in and attentive |
The medical clowns picked up a silk fabric with sequins on and tied it on Nina’s hips and the medical clowns started to play and dance. Nina started to laugh loudly but looked a little bit embarrassed, then laughed again. Now the other medical clown took the silk fabric around his hips and started to dance and shaking the hips. Nina who was sitting at the table next to her daughters then looked away and said something to her daughters and then laughed again. The daughters said with amazement that Nina formulated a whole sentence in her own language, which she hadn´t done for a long time. (Field note, Oct. 16th) | Social interactions starts by given attention to a silk fabric. The clown then imitating a belly dancer from the Middle East, The person with dementia responded by laughing and continue to interact with the clown in her language of origin- her next of kind said that she had not spoken for a very long time | Using a sensory trigger | Being tuned in and attentive |