Ethical Constraints to Application of Doll Therapy for Treating Dementia and Alzheimer's Diseases

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2020-51-3/108-119

Abstract

The article raises the question of the effectiveness and ethics of the method of doll therapy for older people suffering from a decrease in cognitive functions. The results of studies by sociologists and medical anthropologists, evidence of caring staff and relatives of people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease confirm that dolls make medication easier, improve mood and facilitate everyday interaction. The subject of discussion is the question of the ethics of the doll therapy in view of possible humiliation and dehumanization of older people. This study reveals the perception of doll therapy as a method of non-pharmacological treatment in caring for the elderly.

References

1. Andrew A. 2006.The ethics of using dolls and soft toys in dementia care. Nursing & Residential Care 8 (9): 419–421.
2. Baker C., and J. Corrigan-Charlesworth. 2007. Visiting the Memory Café and other Dementia Care Activities: Evidence-based Interventions for Care Homes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
3. Batsch N.L., and M.S. Mittelman 2012. Alzheimer’s Disease International. World Alzheimer Report 2012: overcoming the stigma of dementia. London: Alzheimer’s Disease International.
4. Bisiani L., and J. Angus. Doll therapy: A therapeutic means to meet past attachment needs and diminish behaviours of concern in a person living with dementia – a case study approach. Dementia (London) 12 (4): 447–462.
5. Ellingford J., I. James, L. Mackenzie, and L. Marsland. Using dolls to alter behaviour in patients with dementia. Nursing Times 103 (30,5): 36–37.
6. Fernandez R., B. Arthur, R. Fleming, and C. Perrin. 2014.Effect of doll therapy in managing challenging behaviors in people with dementia: a systematic review. The JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports 12 (8): 330–363.
7. Hughes, J., S. Louw, and S.R. Sabat. 2006. Dementia: Mind, Meaning, and the Person. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
8. James, I.А., L. Mackenzie, and Mukaetova-Ladinska. 2006. Doll use in care homes for people with dementia. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 21: 1093–1098.
9. Miesen, B. Alzheimer’s disease, the phenomenon of parent fixation and Bowlby’s attachment theory. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatr 8: 147–153.
10. Minshull, K. 2009. The impact of doll therapy on well-being of people with dementia // Journal of Dementia Car 17(2): 35–38.
11. Mitchell, G. 2006. Doll Therapy in Dementia Care: Evidence and Practice. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
12. Mitchell, G., and М. Templeton. 2014. Ethical considerations of dolltherapy for people with dementia. Nursing Ethics 21(6): 720–730.
13. Mitchell, G., B. McCormack, and T. McCance. 2016. Therapeutic use of dolls for people living with dementia: A critical review of the literature. Dementia (London) 15 (5): 976–1001.
14. Morozov, I.A. 2001. «Igra» i «ritual» v sovremennom nauchnom diskurse [Game and Ritual in Modern Scientific Discourse)]. Tradicionnaya kul'tura. Nauchnyj al'manah 1: 20–28.
15. Morozov, I.A. 2011. Fenomen kukly v tradicionnoj i sovremennoj kul'ture (Krosskul'turnoe issledovanie ideologii antropomorfizma) [The Doll Phenomenon in Traditional and Modern Culture (Cross-Cultural Study of the Ideology of Anthropomorphism)]. Moscow: Indrik.
16. Moyle W., J. Murfield, С. Jones, E. Beattie, В. Draper, and Т. Ownsworth. 2019. Can lifelike baby dolls reduce symptoms of anxiety, agitation, or aggression for people with dementia in long-term care? Findings from a pilot randomised controlled trial. Aging & Mental Health 23: 1442–1450.
17. Osborne H., G. Stokes, and J. Simpson. 2010. A psychosocial model of parent fixation in people with dementia: The role of personality and attachment. Aging & Mental Health 14: 928–937.
18. Schermer, M. 2007. Nothing but the truth? On truth and deception in dementia care. Bioethics 21(1): 13–22.
19. Tuckett, A. 2010.The experience of lying in dementia care: A qualitative study. Nursing Ethics 19(1): 7–20.