Relationship between bilingual demented immigrants and bilingual/monolingual caregivers

This study illuminates the relationship between bilingual demented patients and bilingual/monolingual caregivers during morning care sessions regarding the promotion of integrity in demented persons. Seven demented Finnish immigrants were videotaped during morning care together with bilingual and monolingual Swedish-speaking caregivers. A phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis of the videotapes was performed based on Ricoeur's philosophy. The structural analysis was made by means of the Erikson theory of "eight stages of man." Comparisons were made regarding demented immigrants' relationships with Swedish-Finnish speaking and Swedish speaking caregivers respectively. Three different patterns of relationship were seen: positive, negative, and mixed relationship. The study showed that bilingual caregivers' relationships with bilingual patients was positive or mainly positive (mixed), while the monolingual Swedish speaking caregivers had severe problems communicating with the same patients and therefore had more difficulties creating a positive relationship with them. It seems important that bilingual caregivers engage in the care of demented bilingual patients in order to help them use their latent competence and show themselves more clearly in the communication with their caregivers.