Quiet please, there's a lady on stage: Centering the person with dementia in life story narrative

This paper demonstrates how the use of narrative inquiry and personhood underpins our approach to person-centred care. Personhood is an innate attribute of every human being. Our individualperceptions of it are viewed through the prismof our own attitudes to others, including thosewith dementia; but their personhood is not dependent on our view of it. Rather, our attitudes determine the quality of our responses to their personhood. Janet is living with dementia, her personhood flourishes in her relationships—both past and present. These relationships affirm the humanness in Janet. We extend this to suggest that all persons livingwith dementia have personhood in their own right. How personhood is supported through our actions, is the essence of person-centred care