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Keeping the conversation going: How progressivity is prioritised in co-remembering talk between couples impacted by dementia
Slocombe, F. Peel, E. Pilnick, A. Albert, S.
Slocombe, F.
Peel, E.
Pilnick, A.
Albert, S.
Publication Date
2024-03
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©2022 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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slocombe_et_al_2022.pdf
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Abstract
This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners’ interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia. The focus is on 14 sequences of conversation about shared memories. We show how particular practices (candidate answers, tag questions and single-party memory of a shared event) structure the interaction to facilitate conversational progression. When partners facilitate conversational progressivity, PLWD are less likely to experience stalls in conversation. Our findings suggest the actual recall of memory is less relevant than the sense of shared connection resulting from the conversational activity of co-remembering, aiding maintenance of individual and shared identities. These findings have relevance for wider care settings.
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Slocombe F, Peel E, Pilnick A et al (2024) Keeping the conversation going: How progressivity is prioritised in co-remembering talk between couples impacted by dementia. Health: An interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, illness and medicine. 28: 2 (272–289)
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