Communication, Personhood, and Empowerment

Overview

Persons living with dementia should be supported at every stage of their diagnosis; specifically, their sense of personhood and empowerment as individuals should be both preserved and enhanced. The CARE Lab has conducted relevant research, such as fostering resilience in dementia and examining the relationship between communication and empowerment of older adults.

Publications

Purves, B.,  Savundranayagam, M.Y.,  Kelson, E., Astell A., et al.. "Fostering Resilience in Dementia through Narratives: Contributions of Multimedia Technology" New York. Resilience in Aging: Concepts, Research, and Outcomes (2011) 
Available at:

This chapter highlights recent innovative uses of multimedia tools to explore narratives of people with a diagnosis of dementia. The work in this chapter focuses on supporting those with a dementia diagnosis, their families, and their communities. 

Savundranayagam, M.Y.,  Dilley, L.J. and Basting, A. "StoryCorps Memory Loss Initiative: Enhancing Personhood for Storytellers with Memory Loss" Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice Vol. 10 Iss. 3 (2011) 
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StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative is a project designed to accrue oral histories of individuals with memory loss. This study explored the StoryCorps interview experience for storytellers who self identify with early-stage memory loss and the persons who interviewed them. 

Savundranayagam, M.Y. and Ryan, E.B. "Social Psychological Aspects of Communication and Aging" Annual Review of Applied Linguistics Vol. 28 Iss. 1 (2008) 
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This review outlines the key theoretical perspectives on the study of communication with older adults and provides evidence supporting these perspectives within the context of aging stereotypes, intergenerational and cross-cultural communication, and health care encounters.  

Savundranayagam, M.Y., Ryan E.B. and M. L. Hummert. "Communication, Health and Aging: Promoting Empowerment" New York. Language, Discourse and Social Psychology(2007) 
Available at:

The purpose of this piece is to understand the relationship between communication and empowerment of older adults, specifically those with physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments. 

Savundranayagam, M.Y. and Hummert M.L. "Creating Caregiver Identity: The Role of Communication Problems Associated with Dementia" Hong Kong. Language Matters: Communication, Identity and Culture (2004) 
Available at:

 This chapter explores the ways in which Alzheimer’s disease related communication problems may contribute to caregiver stress by changing the nature of the relationships between caregivers and care-recipients.