Få till ett abstract som ger mig möjlighet att delta i konferens i Melbourne.

Background and objective
People with Alzheimer’s disease will eventually need some kind of help in their daily life. Paradoxically, the very disease that lies behind the evolving needs also makes it increasingly difficult for the individual to give voice to them, and thus to have a say in decisions about his/her own life. By the time needs are formally assessed, it is often problematic to establish what the person him- or herself values the most with regard to care and support and what may be at stake for the person in the process of receiving help.

This paper explores how two women with AD, among peers within the context of a dementia self-help group, over time bring up their needs for care and support, and how their needs are constructed and negotiated in conversation.

Methods
The study is based on audio-recordings from three and a half years of regular group conversations, focusing on sequences where the women’s current needs are discussed. Positioning analysis is used to delineate the subtle shifts back and forth between more agentive stances and victim positions as the conversation unfolds, in relation to concerns ranging from the personal and social to the political and from practical matters to existential ones.

Findings and implications
The study provides insight into the delicate process of balancing conflicting needs in the face of the evolving disease, with respect to issues of identity and control. Implications are discussed for professional communication in encounters between citizens with AD and the welfare system.

Eller så kan man sätta ljus på den mänskliga uppfinningsrikedomen i utförsbacke. Vad man nu vill betona. Ett skäl till att den idén kom efteråt var väl att det kan vara humanitärt-politiskt viktigare i nuvarande klimat att betona den första aspekten. Det är ju redan populärt att betrakta folk som kompetentare än de är, tillvridet på fel sätt. Men kanske man kan få med båda sakerna i samma bild. Fast kanske svårt.