ROLLS 8th March: Conceptualising language and communication in the context of dementia

For our next ROLLS talk on the 8th of March, we are very lucky to have Alison Wray visiting us to talk about how knowledge of language and communication can help with our understanding of dementia. With us living longer lives, and developing as a result more complex health needs, greater knowledge of this challenging condition is vital for helping people and their families live with the illness. This talk represents a fantastic example of how linguistic study can be applied to good use in the real world, and we are very excited to welcome Alison. The talk is on Wednesday the 8th at 1pm in Jubilee G36.

Conceptualising language and communication in the context of dementia
Alison Wray
Centre for Language and Communication Research,
Cardiff University


This talk will consider some of the many aspects of language and communication that relate to our understanding of dementia. Language plays many roles in the dementia context – as the means of communication between researchers, clinicians, carers, the media, families and people with dementia; and as an object of investigation in its own right, since dementia is diagnosed and tracked through a person’s language. Two vignettes will be used to illustrate the complexity of this big picture: (1) Linguistic patterns in early adulthood that appear to predict future Alzheimer’s; (2) Ethical dilemmas when communication problems in dementia result in disruptive behaviour.

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