Bilingualism and dementia : how some patients lose their second language and rediscover their first

Murphy, David and Birnie, Ingeborg and Ní Loingsigh, Aedin and Bak, Thomas (2019) Bilingualism and dementia : how some patients lose their second language and rediscover their first. The Conversation. (https://theconversation.com/bilingualism-and-demen...)

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Abstract

For many people with dementia, memories of early childhood appear more vivid than their fragile sense of the present. But what happens when the present is experienced through a different language than the one spoken in childhood? And how might carers and care homes cope with the additional level of complexity in looking after bilingual people living with dementia? This is not just relevant for people living with dementia and those who care for them. It can provide insights into the human mind that are equally important to brain researchers, social scientists and even artists.