Dementia as an Existential Threat: The Importance of Self-Esteem, Social Connectedness and Meaning in Life

Dementia is one of the most feared of all illnesses. If we are to understand the psychological impact of dementia, then it is important that we place this within the context of how humans respond to existential threats. Research over the last 20 years has consistently indicated that higher levels of self-esteem and social connectedness and a greater sense of meaning in life all buffer people against threat. Applying this framework to dementia care may enables us to understand more about the psychological functions of forgetting, as well as reframing the use of the past by some people affected by dementia as an attempt to generate a life of meaning and connectedness. Finally, it may help to generate new methods of intervening such as the therapeutic use of nostalgia.