2024 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 70-78
Purpose: This study aimed to clarify nursing students' relationships with older people with dementia and their observations regarding their verbal communication in gerontological nursing practice, and to obtain suggestions about the nature of gerontological nursing practice education.
Methods: Assignment reports of 134 students who took gerontological nursing practice were analyzed using text mining.
Results: While describing their interactions with older people with dementia in their assignments, nursing students focused on the following topics: “older people with dementia,” “cognitive decline,” “behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,” “expression of pleasure and discomfort,” “residual capacity,” and “acceptance of language.” In addition, the students noted that the verbal utterances of the older people with dementia were of the following types: “words that weave a relationship with the student,” “words of feedback on the student's response,” “words of labor to the student,” “words of recognition of the student,” “words that upset the student,” and “words of dissatisfaction with the student.”
Conclusion: Observations related to the symptoms of dementia were extracted more frequently. Capturing the meaning and intention of the unique words and actions expressed by older people with dementia could provide clues for improving dementia care, as well as a better understanding of the illness.
