[Between plurality of perspectives and plurality of methods: Reflecting a person-centered research practice involving people with dementia].

BACKGROUND: Research into the lifeworld experiences of people with dementia increasingly employs a variety of methods and perspectives to access the closed-off inner world of these people. The current contribution reflects the researcher's approach to conduct research with and about people with dementia as part of an interdisciplinary project aiming to establish and maintain a 'person-centered' practice.

METHOD: This article highlights the practice of the interdisciplinary mixed-methods research project "Times Without Care and Encounters: Methodologically Pluralistic Explorations of the Experiences of People with Dementia", which specifically utilizes a plurality of perspectives and methods. The article is written from an 'armchair perspective' and represents a multi-perspective attempt at reflecting on a reflexive methodology. Methodological reflection is inherent to research and becomes particularly valuable when it is explicitly articulated. We have chosen the format of a peer-reviewed journal article to offer interested readers and the German-speaking research community an in-depth examination of our methodological choices and reflection.

CONCLUSION: Multiple and multi-perspective approaches are required for siting a (research) situation in studies with and about people with dementia, as well as for addressing their subjective realities. The associated plurality of data collection and analysis becomes a prerequisite (methodologically and epistemologically) for developing a viable understanding of situations concerning the life, healthcare, support and care of people with dementia.