Interpreting Facial Expressions in Patients in the Terminal Stage of the Alzheimer Disease

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Abstract
Videotaped interactions between each of two experienced caregivers and each of four patients in the terminal stage of the Alzheimer disease were interpreted. A hermeneutic approach was used to analyze the videotapes. It was possible to see the patients as capable of having experiences and of communicating them to their caregivers. The analysis made it possible to put together the observed communicative cues into a narrative for each patient. The study may contribute to the improvement of the care of severely demented patients by affecting caregivers' preunderstanding of these patients' experiences and communicative abilities.
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