Alison Phinney, PhD, RN | School of Nursing

Professor, Associate Director, Graduate Programs

UBC School of Nursing
T201 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6T 2B5

Dr. Phinney is an expert in dementia and through her research strives to gain a 360-degree view of people’s experiences living with this disease. She has demonstrated the importance of social involvement and creative and physical activity for supporting well-being and personhood in dementia. Her work highlights the potential for people to live well with this disease as active members of their communities, bringing hope and understanding to families and society.

Profile

Research

Research Interests

My research takes a broad view of health to identify the capacities of older people for successfully coping with the functional consequences of aging and disease. I am exploring what can be done in partnership with families and communities to support frail older people both within and outside the traditional health care system. Much of my work has focused on people who are living with cognitive impairment due to a dementing illness (e.g. Alzheimer disease). Using qualitative methods, I examine how people with dementia and their families experience the impact of cognitive impairment on their everyday lives, how people with dementia cope through involvement in meaningful activity, and the role that families and communities play in supporting them. My current work takes a community-engaged participatory approach to the study of creative and physical activity in the context of aging and dementia.

Current Projects

Putting Social Citizenship into Practice: Improving the Lives of People with Dementia
Nominated Principal Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (in review)

Health and Mobility of Older Men
Co-Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Supporting Social Citizenship through Community-Based Programming
Principal Investigator, Alzheimer Society of Canada

Family Work in Long Term Residential Care
Co-Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Completed Projects

Visual Art in a Transitional Care Setting
Principle Investigator, Hampton Fund

Music and Dementia
Co-Investigator, Alzheimer Society of Canada

Arts Health and Seniors
Principal Investigator, UBC School of Nursing

CIRCA-BC
Co-Investigator, BC Medical Services Foundation

Meaningful Activity in Dementia
Principal Investigator, CIHR

Everyday Activity and Social Interaction
Principal Investigator, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Personhood and Service Use
Co-Investigator, Alzheimer Society of Canada

Lived Body in Dementia
Principal Investigator, Alzheimer Society of Canada

Researching Personhood in Dementia: Investigating Measurement Issues
Co-Investigator, CIHR

Publications

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Selected Publications not Indexed in PubMed

Puurveen, G., Phinney, A., Purves, B. & Cox, S. (2016). The use of video images in dementia end-of-life research: ethical considerations. In D. Warr, M. Guillemin, S. Cox, & J. Waycott (Eds.). Ethics for Visual Research: Theory, Methodology and Practice. pp. 105-116. Melbourne: Palgrave Macmillan.

Phinney, A. (2016). Well being and quality of life in dementia. In C. Clarke & E. Wolverson (Eds.). Positive Psychology Approaches in Dementia. pp. 67-87. London: Jessica Kingsley Press.

Puurveen, G., Phinney, A., Cox, S. & Purves, B. (2015). Ethical issues in the use of video observations with people with advanced dementia and their caregivers in nursing home environments. Visual Methodologies, 3(2), 16-26.

Canning, S. & Phinney, A. (2015). Documenting new relationships with old partners: data collection and knowledge translation through documentary film. Perspectives, 38, 1-13.

Hung, L., Loewen, E., Bindley, B., McLaren, D., Feist, T., & Phinney, A. (2014). The impact of an acute psychiatry environment on patients and families. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 40(9), 50-56.

Phinney, A. (2014). As the body speaks: creative expression in dementia. In Beyond Loss, Dementia, Identity, Personhood (Eds. Hyden, L-C., Lindemann, H. & Brockmeier, J.). pp. 120-134. New York: Oxford University Press..

Baumbusch, J. & Phinney, A. (2014). Invisible hands: The role of families in care work in long term residential care. Journal of Family Nursing, 20(1), 73-97.

Oliffe, J.L., Rasmussen, B., Bottorff, J.L., Kelly, M.T., Galdas, P., Phinney, A., & Ogrodniczuk, J. (2013). Masculinities, work, and retirement among older men who experience depression. Qualitative Health Research, 23 (12), 1626-1637.

Purves, B. & Phinney, A. (2013). Family voices: a family systems approach to understanding communication in dementia. Canadian Journal of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, 36, 284-300.

Donnelly, L., Hurd Clarke, L., Phinney, A. & MacEntee, M. (2011). Body image and social interactions among frail elders. In M. MacAntee, F. Mueller & C. Wyatt, (Eds.) Oral health care and the frail elder: a clinical perspective. pp. 161-172. Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell.

Tang, S., Boschma, G. & Phinney, A. (2011). Residential elder care in British Columbia: Policy development and culture change (1950-2005).Perspectives, 34(4), 5-16.

Phinney, A. & Moody. E. (2011). Leisure Connections: Benefits and challenges of participating in a social recreation group for people with early dementia. Activities, Adaptation and Aging, 35, 111-130.

Phinney, A. (2011). Horizons of meaning in dementia: Retained and shifting narratives. Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging, 23, 254-268.

Purves, B., Savundranayagam, M., Kelson, E., Astell, A. & Phinney, A. (2011). Fostering resilience in dementia through narratives: Contributions of multimedia technology. In: B. Resnick, L. Gwyther, & K. Roberto (Eds.). Resilience in aging: Concepts, research, and outcomes. pp. 231-243. New York: Springer.

O’Connor, D., Phinney, A. & Hulko, W. (2010). Contextualizing the dementia experience: a unique case study exploring social location.Journal of Aging Studies, 24, 30-39.

Phinney, A. (2008). Understanding Experiences of Dementia. In M. Downes & B. Bowers (Eds.) Excellence in Dementia Care. London: McGraw Hill.

Baldwin, C., Chaudhury, H. O’Connor, D., Phinney, A. & Purves, B. (2007). Personhood. In C. Baldwin & A. Capstick (Eds.), Tom Kitwood on dementia: A reader and critical commentary. London: Open University Press.

O’Connor, D. & Phinney, A. et al. (2007). Personhood in dementia care: developing a research agenda for broadening the vision. Dementia, 6, 121-142.

Phinney, A. & Chesla, C. A. (2003). The lived body in dementia. Journal of Aging Studies, 17, 283-299.

Phinney, A. (2002). Fluctuating awareness and the breakdown of the illness narrative in dementia. Dementia: an International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 1, 329-344.

Phinney, A., Wallhagen, M. & Sands, L. P. (2002). Exploring the meaning of symptom awareness and unawareness in dementia. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 34, 79-90.

Teaching

Teaching Interests

I teach in areas related to older adult health, both within nursing and from an interdisciplinary perspective. By exposing students to different ways of thinking about aging, I aim to help them build confidence and capacity to provide skilled and compassionate care, and to think critically about how to promote healthy aging at individual, community and population levels. I also teach in the graduate program at both the masters and doctoral level, providing students the opportunity to both grapple with the philosophic underpinnings of inquiry and develop practical skills in the generation and translation of new knowledge.

Graduate Supervision
I supervise a dynamic group of masters and doctoral students whose interests align in the area of dementia and older adult care. Potential or current students who are thinking of pursuing further study in this area are welcome to contact me to explore possibilities for conducting their own research, or joining one of our ongoing projects.

Current and Recently Completed Student Research
Jennifer McDuff (MSN, Nursing, 2013)
“Walking for Meaning in Dementia”

Sherry Dahlke (PhD Nursing 2013)
“Orchestrating Care: Nurses’ Practice with Hospitalized Older Adults”

Sienna Caspar (PhD Interdisciplinary Studies, 2014)
“The Influence of Organizational Systems on Information Exchange in Long-Term Care Facilities: An Institutional Ethnography”

Elaine Moody (PhD Nursing, 2015)
“Understanding How Nurses Judge Cognitive Function: A Description of Acute Care Nursing Practice with Older People”

Jennifer Roy, (MSN, Nursing, 2014)
"Promoting Dignity in Nursing Care – an Integrative Review"

Gloria Puurveen, (PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, 2016)
“Contructing the Experiences of People with Advanced Dementia Who are Nearing the End of Life”

Elizabeth Kelson (Post-doctoral fellow, Nursing, 2016)
“The Significance of Place for Supporting Social Citizenship in Dementia”

Lillian Hung (PhDc, Nursing)
"Co-creating Person Centred Care in Acute Care”

Shelley Canning (PhDc, Nursing)
“Understanding the Experience of Emotional and Social Engagement for People with Advanced Dementia Living in Long-term Care”

Mariko Sakamoto (PhD student, Nursing)
“Alternate Level of Care: Experiences of People with Dementia and Their Families”

Supervisor eligibility:

MHLP
MN
MSN – thesis
MSN – non-thesis
PhD

Graduate Supervision