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5 - Using “Now What” to Discursively Compensate for Frontotemporal Dementia-related Challenges: A Longitudinal Case Study

from Part 3 - Dementia and Conversational Strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2024

By
Lisa Mikesell
Edited by
Peter Muntigl ,
Charlotta Plejert  and
Danielle Jones
Peter Muntigl
Affiliation:
Universiteit Gent, Belgium
Charlotta Plejert
Affiliation:
Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
Danielle Jones
Affiliation:
University of Bradford
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Summary

This chapter analyzes the discursive functions of a single interactional practice – the use of the phrase “now what” – that is recurrently employed by an individual diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD; pseudonym Robert). Robert’s use of “now what” recruits assistance from interlocutors when a wider array of recruitment resources may not be readily available. I show how this practice calls on collaborators to articulate the next step of a task-based activity for which Robert requires guidance. I also examine how Robert employs “now what” over the course of a year. Over time, Robert begins to employ “now what” to navigate non-task-based activities, such as when being reprimanded, showing how he extends its use as he faces new interactional challenges. Some research examines "dementia interactions" through a lens of deficit; other research emphasizes skillfulness. I show how “now what” illuminates both the troubles Robert faces while simultaneously demonstrating his resourcefulness to navigate such troubles. I argue that such "compensatory" practices point to both deficit and skill, and suggest that a dichotomous framework – identifying a practice or behavior as either only a deficit or a skill – is unlikely to adequately capture the social engagement of those diagnosed with neurological disorders.

Keywords

behavioral variant frontotemporal dementiacompensatory practiceslongitudinal conversation analysisrecruitment
Type
Chapter
Information
Dementia and Language
The Lived Experience in Interaction
 , pp. 103 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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