ABSTRACT
Problems of power: norms for communication may gloss over conflicts and asymmetrical power relations.
In communication culture it is commonly believed that many problems are most effectively addressed by adjusting the way people communicate. This belief underpins a therapy called ‘Reality Orientation’ (RO) which is widely used with confused elderly people in institutional care. RO’s goal is to put patients back in touch with reality, by way of ‘a continual process whereby staff present current information . . . in every interaction, reminding the patient of time, place and person, and providing a commentary on events’ (Holden and Woods 1982: 51).
