Narrative and ageing: exploring the range of narrative types in dementia conversation

AbstractThe stories told by people with dementia are often fragmented and repeated many times. This leads people to discount their value and ignore what they can reveal about the tellers. This paper focuses on five types of stories told by ‘Ms Tatter’ in 10 conversations with student volunteer partners. Many of the stories involve Ms Tatter as a child interacting with her mother. In them she reveals much about herself and her early life as well as the ways in which she positions both herself and her mother.