ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Communication is central to sustaining personhood for individuals with dementia, as demonstrated by the conversation analyses presented earlier in this volume. Our applied dementia focus concerns the collaborative elicitation of life story fragments in conversation and the use of written recordings of these stories as triggers for future conversation in longterm care settings. In this chapter, we briefl y overview one-on-one work with conversational remembering boxes and life story binders. Th en, we present two case studies for a program of group storytelling and life story binders implemented on two hospital units: a complex care unit where patients may stay for months or years and a unit for patients with dementia awaiting, oft en for months, placement in longterm care. Th e objective is to record the individuals’ own words to optimize their chances of retrieving stories from their lives for sharing, elaboration, and personal connections with staff , peers, and family. 1
As seen in all the chapters of this book, eliciting language from persons with dementia can be challenging. Here, we have highlighted successes to raise expectations of what is possible (Th ompson, 2011). Many portions of conversational or group sessions were very diffi cult, with residents passive and responding minimally. Oft en it took multiple sessions before individuals accessed more language and extended cognition, usually because of a topic of interest or greater comfort over time or just a good day.
