Transitions to Long-Term Care for People Living with Dementia: Social Death and Social (Dis) Connections

Dementia is the most common cause for long-term care placement for people over the age of 65 years. The decision and the transition are often very difficult for families and the type and timing of effective support not well understood. As part of a study exploring dyadic experiences of social connection and living with dementia, we conducted virtual in-depth interviews with a sample of spouses (N=5) who had identified their partner’s move to a nursing home as particularly distressing. Using thematic analysis, we identified that the transition process involved a particular disruption for dyad’s social health although rarely a consideration in planning or support provision. For the person living with dementia, the unacknowledged loss of their social world reinforced their social death. Their grieving partner was explicitly and implicitly encouraged to recover a new social world as a means of healing from the loss. Our findings reinforce the need for evidence-informed support during the transition to long-term care for someone living with dementia and their partner.