Abstract
Conversations with an individual with Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT), particularly a close relative, are sad because they are disconcerting, difficult, and often disorienting for the family caregiver. Caregiver and DAT relative often use different frames and different discourse rules. There can be humorous exchanges because the speakers’ frames don’t match and they expect different results, that is, they no longer share “family talk” in the same way. The DAT individual operates in a discourse sphere that is often disconnected from earlier family talk experiences. The son or daughter or spouse must try to locate that sphere, try to function in unclear frames, and learn to follow different, and even strange, rules in order to cooperate in the communicative process. It is like trying to sing a favorite song in a minor key.
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References
Brewer, J.P. (1994) “Affirming the Past and Confirming Humanness: Repetition in the Discourse of Elderly Adults. In B. Johnstone (ed.), Repetition in Discourse: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Vol. 1). Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 230–9.
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© 2005 Jeutonne P. Brewer
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Brewer, J.P. (2005). Carousel Conversation: Aspects of Family Roles and Topic Shift in Alzheimer’s Talk. In: Davis, B.H. (eds) Alzheimer Talk, Text and Context. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230502024_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230502024_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-20694-6
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-50202-4
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