Rethinking Communication guide to advanced dementia

28 see such behaviours as communicative, we might try to stop the actions or, at the very least, ignore them. Tessa Perrin, co-author of the book Wellbeing in Dementia , suggests that these behaviours should be regarded as self–stimulatory, seeing them as a natural consequence of an environment that is unable to provide someone with sufficient stimulation and security. When an environment is not meeting these emotional needs, the person with dementia retreats into their own world. Repetitive behaviours provide the stimulation that Tom Kitwood suggested may represent a “last desperate bid to remain psychologically alive.” Once carers can see meaning in such actions, they cease to be alarming. The behaviours become interesting, when we come to see them as a potential means of connection. Indeed, they offer an excellent means of interaction precisely because they are so basic and deeply