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Autobiographical memories in testimonies of WWII Veterans with dementia

Hanna K. Ulatowska1*, Tricia Olea Santos1 and Diane Garst Walsh1
  • 1 University of Texas at Dallas, United States

This study is a continuation of investigations of personal narratives of healthy older adults and those with aphasia. It focuses on autobiographical memories in testimonies of elderly WWII veterans with dementia, with particular emphasis on emotional events that occurred at the time of their memory peak. This study describes how declines in memory affect changes in language in narratives of memorable experiences at the time in old age when life review is typically experienced. Ten WWII veterans with dementia were selected from a larger study of healthy elderly veterans. Participants were between the ages of 86-91 years old, with the majority obtaining higher education. Based on the Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia, participants demonstrated dementia of mild-to-moderate severity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit memorable war experiences. Modifications to the interview were made, such as the use of photos to set the topic and occasional closed-ended questions to facilitate responses. Information was recorded and analyzed in terms of the amount and specificity of linguistic information, overall coherence of narratives, and the evaluations of memorable war experiences. The participants were not able to produce complete narratives; they instead relayed short episodes of their war experiences. Difficulties with semantic and episodic memory were reflected in the reduced length of their stories. Anomia was inherent in these episodes, as evidenced by the absence of specific names, dates and places. Lack of specificity was exhibited in reduced details and the use of nonspecific referents, such as “thing,” “stuff,” “there.” Participants produced coherent short story episodes. Coherence in episodic structure was maintained by the ability to relate events in a temporal sequence. Repetition was a strategy that served essential functions of emphasizing a point and/or clarifying breakdowns in communication. As regards pragmatics, participants were aware of the interview context and generally maintained the topic without need for prompts. Furthermore, participants willingly shared their war experiences. They spontaneously expressed strong identity as regards their role in the war, their evaluations of self, and their relationship with others. Minimal evaluations of the war were produced; most of them were positive evaluations of war experiences. Participants primarily referenced past events during the war, without reflecting on how war experiences affected their life. Despite breakdowns in language and reduced specificity of information, communication was relatively preserved in the short story episodes of persons with dementia. Participants utilized specific communication strategies and demonstrated preserved pragmatic skills when relating personally meaningful experiences. More importantly, eliciting autobiographical memories from these individuals provided an avenue for fostering a strong sense of identity and pride, particularly in memories of great importance to them. Eliciting autobiographical memories using semi-structured interview is a viable means of understanding discourse skills and communication strategies of persons with dementia of mild-moderate severity levels. This can be used as a window to further appreciate how declines in memory affect discourse in dementia.

Acknowledgements

The authors give special thanks to Belinda Reyes, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Ashley Henson, Hana Soek, Katrina Johnson, and Eric May for their contributions to this study. Authors also acknowledge the study participants, their families, and the Administration of Friends Place Adult Day Centers.

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Keywords: Dementia, old elderly, Personal Narratives, Emotional Memory, autobiographical memory

Conference: Academy of Aphasia 53rd Annual Meeting, Tucson, United States, 18 Oct - 20 Oct, 2015.

Presentation Type: Poster

Topic: Not student first author

Citation: Ulatowska HK, Olea Santos T and Garst Walsh D (2015). Autobiographical memories in testimonies of WWII Veterans with dementia. Front. Psychol. Conference Abstract: Academy of Aphasia 53rd Annual Meeting. doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyg.2015.65.00044

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Received: 28 Apr 2015; Published Online: 24 Sep 2015.

* Correspondence: Dr. Hanna K Ulatowska, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, United States, hanna@utd.edu