STORIES AND EMBODIED MEMORIES IN DEMENTIA

Lars-Christer Hydén, PhDCenter for Dementia Research (CEDER)

Linköping University, Sweden

CEDER - Center for Dementia Research

Interest inpeople with dementia as storytellers.

Dementia: a brain disease first resulting in linguistic and cognitive challenges - later on more functions are involved - and eventually resulting in death.

A disease with many faces and causes.

Storytelling:

* is ubiquitous;* is important in presenting and negotiating identities;* important in understanding other persons and the world.

Research on dementia invites us to re-think some theoretical issues:

(1) what is memory?

(2) what does ”losing memory” mean and imply?

Episodic memory

Event representation

Semantic memory

Words & linguistic

constructions

Talk: linguistic

representation

of retrieved

events

Embodiment

Embodiment:

(1) Communicative body(2) ”Embodied cognition”

and a combinations of these

An example

Laura

* 52 years old* early on-set dementia* two children* divorced

The interview

Thematic:- diagnosis- life history- present life

The interview situation

* In Laura’s home* Social support person present, and* Two interviewers

Video recorded

Set up

The start of the sequence:

Laura is telling about where she has been living - as part of that story she tells about separating from her husband and about her son.

The sound file

Laura: well my son ehh

lives with his father

and we all lived there

I1: mm

Laura: we separated and then

we had different

he came to me

and then it was empty

I2: yes

Laura: and then

I2: [alternate residence]

Laura: [we did this for a while]

Laura: well my son ehh (1,5s)

lives with his father (2s)

and we all lived there (0.75s)

I1: mm

Laura: we separated and then (1,5s)

we had different (2s)

he came to me (0.8)

and then it was empty (0.5s)

I2: yes

Laura: and then (2.0s)

I2: [alternate residence]

Laura: [we did this for a while]

Laura: well my son ehh

lives with his father

and we all lived there

I1: mm

Laura: we separated and then

we had different

he came to me

and then it was empty

I2: yes

Laura: and then

I2: [alternate residence]

Laura: [we did this for a while]

Build a case for incompleteness:

* frequent in the interview* pauses quite long* grammatical constructions:lack of words that differentiate in events, situations and physical arrangements. Utterances are ’syncretic’.

QuickTime och enH.264-dekomprimerare

krävs för att kunna se bilden.

The video

The gestures, eyes, body posture

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))Laura: lives with his fatherLaura: and w-we all lived there ((I1: mm))Laura: w-we separatedGestures:((raises both hands in outward movement))

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))Laura: lives with his fatherLaura: and w-we all lived there ((I1: mm))Laura: w-we separated andGestures:((raises both hands in outward movement))Laura: and thenGestures:((join hands))

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))Laura: lives with his fatherLaura: and w-we all lived there ((I1: mm))Laura: w-we separatedGestures:((raises both hands in outward movement))Laura: and thenGestures:((join hands))Laura: we had differentGestures:((outward hand movements hands separated))

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))Laura: lives with his fatherLaura: and w-we all lived there ((I1: mm))Laura: w-we separatedGestures:((raises both hands in outward movement))Laura: and thenGestures:((join hands))Laura: we had differentGestures:((outward hand movements hands separated))Laura: he came to meGestures:((right hand in to the body midline))

Laura: we had differentGestures:((outward hand movements hands separated))Laura: he came to meGestures:((right hand in to the body midline))Laura: and then it was empty ((small laughter))I2: yesGestures:((left hand in to body midline))Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I2))

Laura: and then it was empty ((small laughter))I2: yesGestures:((left hand in to body midline))Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I2))Laura: and thenGestures:((right hand from right to midline => both hand to default position))Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I1))

Laura: well my son ehhGestures:((hands resting in knee - default))Gaze: ((gaze directed towards I1))Laura: lives with his fatherLaura: and w-we all lived there ((I1: mm))Laura: w-we separated andGestures:((raises both hands in outward movement))Laura: thenGestures:((join hands))Laura: we had differentGestures:((outward hand movements hands separated))Laura: he came to meGestures:((right hand in to the body midline))Laura: and then it was empty ((small laughter))I2: yesGestures:((left hand in to body midline))Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I2))Laura: and thenGestures:((right hand from right to midline => both hand to default position))Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I1))I2: [alternate residence]Laura: [we did this for a while]Gaze: ((shifts gaze to I2))

Sum up of analysis:

* Gestures take on the functions of words;

Sum up of analysis:

* Gestures take on the functions of words;* Complex gestures - events;

Sum up of analysis:

* Gestures take on the functions of words;* Complex gestures - events;* Gestures connected to embodied experiences;

Sum up of analysis:

* Gestures take on the functions of words;* Complex gestures - events;* Gestures connected to embodied experiences;* Gestures are ”syncretic”.

Conclusions

* Indication that memories are not representations stored in an archive but rather bits and pieces of modular (embodied) experiences and patterns of experiences that can be re-created in a new situation.

Conclusions

* Experiential fragments are not ”mapped” into linguistic expressions, but rather developed through various semiotic tools (language, gestures).

Conclusions

* Dementia do not lead to erasure of ”memories” in the brain, but to loss of certain possibilities - and inventions of new possibilities.

The End