Mode Shifts in Conversations with People with Dementia can Cause Confusion

Abstract

We illustrate how speakers with dementia may shift the whole mode of a conversation as well as its topic or their role in it. This can confuse their unimpaired conversation partner if that partner is less aware of features of dementia discourse. Examples are drawn from three women with moderate Alzheimer’s disease who were living in the south-eastern United States. These examples demonstrate the range of coherence in dementia discourse and how the mode of the conversation can shift dramatically.