stories and embodied memories in dementia lars-christer hydén, phd center for dementia research...
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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