Abstract
AbstractThe current study is carried out in an ethnically diverse three-semester vocational adult education programme in Sweden for those who aspire to register as assistant nurses. The data is based on field notes taken during participant observations and video-recordings of the classroom interaction in a course on dementia care in the autumn of 2014. In Sweden, care work is framed by the goals stated in The Swedish Social Services Act, which is to promote the elderly’s right to self-determination and independence. In the class in which this study was carried out, this policy informed the teaching of “good” communication practices. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how the strategies taught in school that embody this policy come into conflict with the seemingly unavoidable dilemmas experienced by trainee students on the work floor. We analyse two examples of teachers acting out hypothetical scenes for the purpose of modeling proper caregiver conduct in dealing with frail, powerless individuals with dementia. The students’ descriptions of their own conduct in managing challenging resident behaviour are thereby considered as accountable actions. The article brings into focus the complexity of the power relations and institutional asymmetries at play concerning the teaching situation in training classes for care workers.
Highlights
The present article focusses on teacher-student interactions in an ethnically diverse adult education nursing course in Sweden
Gunilla Jansson and Ali Reza Majlesi when the students report on challenging dilemmas that they have experienced during their workplace training in dementia care
With increasing numbers of people who are living with dementia,1 there is a great need for well-trained staff who can cope with the demanding work tasks while at the same time meeting the needs of dementia patients to maintain a sense of agency and personhood (Kitwood 1997)
Summary
Gunilla Jansson and Ali Reza Majlesi when the students report on challenging dilemmas that they have experienced during their workplace training in dementia care These dilemmas centre on the agitation and physical violence exhibited by older individuals with dementia, a widespread and difficult problem among residents in the disease’s intermediate and late stages The article brings into focus the complexity of the power relations and institutional asymmetries (Heritage 1997) at play concerning the teaching situation in training classes for care workers. This focus involves multiple perspectives: that of the student, the care recipient, the caregiver and the teacher
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of the Sociology of Language
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
