Re-membering Daddy: Autoethnographic Reflections of My Father and Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

This autoethnographic report chronicles communication-based interactions I had with my father after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Utilizing a modified version of Michael Fischer's notion of “mosaic memory,” I construct a “mosaic” out of personal anecdotes about my father, scientific explanations of Alzheimer's disease, and philosophical discussions of memory. The paper is an unconventional memorial to my father that provides a narrative blueprint for how other caregivers might respond to senility.

Keywords:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Autoethnography
• Conversation
• Memory
• Metaphor

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Heidi Rose, Bruce Henderson, and the reviewers for the valuable feedback they provided. A draft of this essay was presented as one of the Top Papers in Performance Studies at the 2009 Western States Communication Association conference

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ragan Fox

Ragan Fox is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at California State University, Long Beach