Learning from initial reviews of multilingual graphics illustrating dementia caregiving

Abstract

This study traces the initial processes in creating and assessing ‘comics,’ or graphic materials of various sorts, which illustrate situations in dementia caregiving. Dementia care materials intended for paid caregivers need to accommodate three related work situations (home care aides, residential care aides and nursing assistants), and be comprehensible for low-literacy and second-language caregivers. Their creation draws on pragmatic constructs underlying an emphasis on reading oneself into the materials and on interpersonal interaction between caregiver and recipient. While our focus here is on English, we also illustrate our work with Filipino, Latin American Spanish, and Taiwanese Mandarin.