Paper short abstract:

In the public debate, descriptions of deficits, cognitive losses and incompetence of people with dementia often predominate. It is overlooked to what extent people with dementia do something for themselves and others. The presentation will provide a more detailed insight.

Paper long abstract:

In the public debate, descriptions of deficits, cognitive losses and incompetence of people with dementia often predominate. It is often overlooked that and to what extent people with dementia do, or try to do, something for themselves and others. The planned lecture is dedicated to this thematic context and presents results from the research project "Self-care in the face of dementia in the horizon of spiritual care and cultural science". The project, which is affiliated with the University of Zurich, will examine practices through which people with dementia have a shaping influence on their lives and their social and cultural environment. It examines how people with dementia seek to realize subjective needs, how they care about relationships with other people and how they look for tasks that give them meaning in life. Although the project focuses on practices of self-care, it should not be viewed in isolation, but always as part of a social environment in which self-care and care-giving are closely intertwined.

Based on participatory observations and narrative interviews with people with dementia, the presentation will address the following questions: How does self-care manifest itself in the face of dementia? How can self-care react to shifts in dependency and power relationships? Which forms of self-care can be used to respond to a certain exclusion from one's own life contexts, and how can people with dementia react to social stigmatization?