Half a million Canadians are living with dementia and one in five Canadians has cared for someone with dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for many conditions causing “loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.”
As PhD students and health-care providers, as well as family members of persons with dementia, we are critical of stereotypes and common misconceptions. These often emerge in the metaphors used to explain and understand dementia. While some metaphors may be helpful, they can also be harmful.
