ABSTRACT
The idea of dementia as a pathological process of continuous regression leading back to infantile stages of human existence seems to persist not only in public media discourses but also in various guides and scientific discussions. The comparison with children is usually made metaphorically and, therefore, serves to classify behaviour that is difficult to grasp. Although metaphorical, this way of speaking influences the understanding of dementia and has informed how those affected are treated. This article focuses on the experiences of people with dementia and places their perspectives at the centre of the analysis. Based on their statements, the chapter analyses when and whether people affected emphasise similarities to living the life of a child and how they evaluate the significance of such an experience. This allows for an elaboration of which differences they stress, making clear the reductive distortion that a careless framing as a child can bring. How power relations and guiding social ideals are negotiated through different interpretations of child-like behaviour when living with dementia can, thus, be reconstructed in a dialogue with—and not about—the people affected.
