Rethinking Communication guide to advanced dementia

have confirmed that both of you are interested in one other. You are paying each other attention. Secondly, you have established, in the space of only a few seconds, that you are jointly sharing that attention. Thus we are able, with sounds and expressions, to pass messages and convey knowledge back and forth between ourselves and our babies. This is good news! In fact, it is crucial news. Exchanges such as these are far more significant than the ability to ask what’s for dinner. The knowledge that someone is sharing attention with you is central to the experience of being human, of being connected. That experience lies at the core of our mental and physical well-being. It is the only way we feel safe and accepted in our world.