Materiality has become an increasingly important topic in sociological studies of health care. How objects support the identity of people with dementia in care homes is an emerging area. While early research has tended to focus on sentimental or cherished items (such as photographs or keepsakes), the present study focused on functional objects (such as curling tongs or a hairdryer) as a mechanism to actualise citizenship. This article presents findings from an ethnographic study into the everyday experiences of people with dementia living in a residential care home in southern England. Drawing on a framework analysis of observations of daily life, object-elicitation interviews with residents, in-depth interviews with staff and relatives and documentary research, the findings demonstrate that object relations are a critical but overlooked site for citizenship. Residents are rarely involved in decision-making relating to their personal possessions, lack control over objects and are often discouraged from material interactions important to the maintenance and cultivation of identity. We introduce a new concept ‘material citizenship’ to advance thinking and practice in this area and argue that it is valuable for care practices to combine a material citizenship approach with existing care practices; thus, elevating the importance of object–person relations in dementia care.

中文翻译：

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物质公民：在养老院痴呆症患者的背景下探索客体关系的民族志研究

物质性已成为医疗保健社会学研究中越来越重要的话题。物体如何支持养老院中痴呆症患者的身份是一个新兴领域。虽然早期的研究倾向于关注感伤或珍贵的物品（如照片或纪念品），但目前的研究侧重于功能性物品（如卷发钳或吹风机）作为实现公民身份的机制。本文介绍了一项关于居住在英格兰南部养老院的痴呆症患者日常经历的人种学研究结果。借鉴日常生活观察的框架分析，对居民的客观启发式访谈，对工作人员和亲属的深入访谈以及文献研究，调查结果表明，客体关系是公民身份的一个关键但被忽视的场所。居民很少参与与他们的个人财产有关的决策，缺乏对物品的控制，并且经常不鼓励进行对维持和培养身份很重要的物质互动。我们引入了一个新概念“物质公民”来推进该领域的思考和实践，并认为将物质公民方法与现有的护理实践相结合对护理实践是有价值的；因此，提高了对象 - 人关系在痴呆症护理中的重要性。我们引入了一个新概念“物质公民”来推进该领域的思考和实践，并认为将物质公民方法与现有的护理实践相结合对护理实践是有价值的；因此，提高了对象 - 人关系在痴呆症护理中的重要性。我们引入了一个新概念“物质公民”来推进该领域的思考和实践，并认为将物质公民方法与现有的护理实践相结合对护理实践是有价值的；因此，提高了对象 - 人关系在痴呆症护理中的重要性。