Dancing in the sky: Enhancing quality of life for people with AIDS-related dementia and their caregivers.

Among the many feared consequences of contracting AIDS is the possibility of HIV or AIDS dementia complex (ADC). As the individual with dementia becomes progressively unable to communicate with his or her caregivers (therapists, loved ones, and medical professionals), the quality of life for both the individual and the caregiver can deteriorate. The person with ADC, faced with a foreshortened future as well as confronted with impending death, must suddenly attend to developmental tasks of dying when he or she may have been in the prime of life. As dementia takes hold, caregivers may disengage because communication becomes disjointed and nonsensical. One of the authors found that, by entering the metaphorical world of the person with ADC, communication could be not only prolonged but deepened, enhancing the relationship between the caregiver and the individual with dementia. Using case examples, this article describes the process of communicating in metaphor with people with ADC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)