Volunteering in dementia care – a Norwegian phenomenological study

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of the informants

Informants	Age (years)	Prior role	Current role
1	53	Childcare worker	Waitress
2	77	Home economics teacher	Retired
3	71	Specialist nurse	Retired
4	72	Office clerk	Retired
5	73	Physician	Retired
6	60	Manager	Manager
7	69	Specialist nurse	Retired
8	67	Office clerk	Retired
9	74	Childcare worker	Retired

Table 2 Examples of the transformation of the informant’s natural attitude expressions into the language of health science

Interview text demarcated into a meaning unit	Transformation of the meaning unit	Themes
“Now I have some experience from the coordination center for voluntary services, because I have been active there for 10–12 years … Yes, I have some experience of what it means … We volunteers, yes and others, too, of course, should help them [the dementia sufferers] to keep their self-respect, as I see it. I think all shall take them seriously when they are asking something and you shall expect to get a proper answer on the question you have”	Volunteers with experience from voluntary work should help the dementia sufferers to keep their self-respect. All of them should be expected to be encountered seriously	Prior experiences
“I try to be conscious about not to put words in the mouth of them [the dementia sufferers], and we have had training in the activity center about how we shall handle and behave, so we do not override them by putting words in the mouth on them or push them to answer”	She tries to be conscious about not putting words in the mouths of the dementia sufferers or pushing them to answer	Caring behavior