Rethinking Communication guide to advanced dementia
38 starts to make a babbling noise. The intonation and timing of the sounds make it seem as if she’s trying to talk to you. When she pauses, you babble back at her using the same sounds that she did. This makes her smile, which makes you smile, which makes her laugh, which makes you laugh, which… You get the picture. No one could seriously argue that there is an exchange of complex information going on here. There is no external content being discussed. What the two of you are doing is connecting. At this stage of development your friend’s baby isn’t going to turn and ask what you will be having for dinner later on. However, you and the baby have exchanged two very important pieces of knowledge. Firstly, you
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