Millions of people will develop dementia in the next decade (Wimo, 2003) and providing quality nursing care will be challenging. Models for dementia nursing care have focused on the well documented explicit memory deficit (e.g., inability to identify time/place/person) in dementia. However, implicit memory (IM) (e.g.,unconscious procedural or priming memory) has not been addressed. A growing body of research supports the maintenance of IM (Lustig & Buckner, 2004) in the presence of impaired explicit memory among all stages of dementia. Despite mounting evidence for sparing of IM in dementia, it is an unexplored area in nursing theory development. Therefore, this poster describes the first nursing model focusing on Implicit Memory in Dementia (IMD) and the research supporting it.
Implicit memory (IM) involves unconscious memory processes resulting from prior experience with a task or item that results in improved performance (Eldridge, Masterman, Knowlton, 2002). Thus IM is used in activities of daily living (ADL) skills, determining familiarity, and affective responses. The Implicit Memory in Dementia (IMD) model posits that when implicit memory is preserved and/or enhanced, dementia patients’ ADL, behavior, and quality of life can be maintained or improved. This poster will 1) review research related to the implicit memory system and dementia, and 2) describe a new model of care, Implicit Memory in Dementia. Theory development in dementia care brings new perspectives to the challenges that nurses face in providing competent quality care.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)