Awareness, Self, and the Experience of Dementia

Abstract

It is now widely acknowledged in policy and practice that the individual with dementia retains the status of a person and the essence of selfhood, has the right to be heard, and has the capacity to live well with the disabilities that dementia brings, given appropriate support. Nevertheless, negative assumptions about dementia as a ‘loss of self' and a ‘living death' remain influential. This chapter examines research evidence that can provide a foundation for a psychologically minded approach to dementia care and help to create a more constructive view of what it means to live with dementia. In this chapter findings are drawn from projects conducted by the Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health (REACH) group at Bangor University, UK on awareness, self-concept, identity and the experience of dementia for people across the dementia trajectory. The REACH group is now at the University of Exeter, UK.