Ruptures, continuities, and the production of meaning in Alzheimer’s disease

discourses of older adults and their families

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2026v38i1e74653

Keywords:

Alzheimer Disease, Discourse, Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that extends beyond cognitive impairment, affecting social practices, family relationships, and modes of interaction. This study analyses narratives produced by older adults with AD, conceptualizing discourse as a social practice constructed through interaction and anchored in the sociocognitive context, in order to investigate how they construct meanings about the experience of the disease based on themes emerging from interaction. Methods: This qualitative, interpretative study employed thematic analysis of discursive data generated in semi-structured interviews. Four audio and video-recorded interviews conducted in 2018 were analysed, involving older adults diagnosed with AD and their family members. Results: Six central themes emerged: (i) the subjective experience of memory loss and disorientation; (ii) progressive dependence and the reorganization of autonomy; (iii) the centrality of family relationships and caregiving; (iv) narratives of the past as a source of identity stability; (v) discursive disruptions and interactional negotiation; and (vi) process of diagnosis disclosure and construction of meaning about the disease. Discussion: The experience of AD was shown to be discursively constructed in relational and situated ways. Disruptions are negotiated through collaborative strategies, highlighting the active participation of older adults with AD in meaning-making processes, with implications for speech-language therapy interventions aimed at promoting communicative agency. Conclusion: Within the analysed corpus, older adults with AD construct the experience of the disease relationally and mobilize interactional strategies to participate in meaning-making, offering support for speech-language therapy practices that are sensitive to communicative context.

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Author Biography

Lucas Manca Dal'Ava, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

PhD in Linguistics from the Institute of Language Studies (CAPES rating 7) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), with a CAPES scholarship. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics from the same institute and a Bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the same university. Earned a Master's degree in Linguistics from the Institute of Language Studies at UNICAMP (CAPES rating 7). During undergraduate studies, participated in an exchange program under the supervision of Professor Dr. Wilmar D'Angelis through the CAPES/AULP program in collaboration with Cape Verde, conducting research on Indigenous languages. Also held a scientific initiation scholarship, funded by SAE/UNICAMP, in the field of speech prosody studies, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Plínio Almeida Barbosa at UNICAMP. Research interests include Language, Phonetics, and Phonology. Is a member of the Speech Prosody Research Group, coordinated by Professor Dr. Plínio Almeida Barbosa, and completed a research internship during the PhD at the University of Southern Denmark, funded by the CAPES/PrInt program. This internship was supervised by Professor Dr. Coen Elemans in the "Sound, Communication and Behaviour" group, where expertise in bioacoustics was further developed, and projects were carried out to analyze and compare hearing and vocalization across different vertebrate species. Current research projects focus on phonetics and phonology, language acquisition, and bioacoustics.

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Published

2026-03-27

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Artigos

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Copyright (c) 2026 Lucas Manca Dal'Ava

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.