“Almost 40 per cent of people over the age of 65 experience some form of memory loss. When there is no underlying medical condition causing this memory loss, it is known as “age-associated memory impairment,” which is considered a part of the normal aging process. Brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are different.” (Alzheimer.ca)

In this interview Dr. Grant Campbell from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University discusses dementia, both his research and how it has affected his loved ones. He makes sometimes surprising connections between the interactions of people living with dementia and their caregivers and topics such as music theory, cataloguing, and information organization. From Ranganathan’s faceted classification to Grice’s implicatures, Campbell makes use of many LIS concepts to help grapple with this challenging topic.

After you’ve listened to the episode below, you can also: read the transcript, attend Dr. Campbell’s upcoming public talk, or read more about this topic.

FIMS #PublicInterest Talk

Dementia: Learning from Caregivers
With Dr. Grant Campbell
Thursday, March 21, 2019
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
London Public Library, Masonville Branch
30 North Centre Rd

Spouses, friends and adult children who care for family members with dementia are amassing powerful insights into the nature of dementia and the nature of communication in dementia care. Dr. Grant Campbell will describe what he has learned from a series of interviews with caregivers: what they experienced, what they learned, and what they can tell others who are just beginning a long road. All are welcome.

Further reading

• Alzheimer Society Canada. 2018. Normal aging vs dementia.
• Wikipedia. Faceted Classification.
• Wikipedia. Paul Grice | Conversational Implicature.

Episode producer: Alex Mayhew
Image credit: Lukas Budimaier on Unsplash