Communicating with Library Patrons and Dementia Patients: Tracing an Ethic of Care Practice in Professional Communication Guidelines

Abstract

This presentation reports on the initial results ofa SSHRC-funded research project involving thecomplex interactions between information,communication and dementia. We use an ethic ofcare framework to compare prominent guidelinesfor reference librarians with guidelines forworkers in long-term dementia care settings. In so doing, we explore how both sets of guidelines frame the act of communication as a combination of regulated procedure and empathetic discourse.