Preface

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of the aging population and the general state of health of country’s inhabitants, which can be assessed by including both life expectancy and quality of life at all stages of a person’s life. As society ages, the aspects of the quality of life are especially relevant for seniors, who have taken a well-deserved respite after years of working, yet the desired retirement is often influenced by the physical ageing of the body, as well as various diseases that cause worry and suffering to patients and their relatives. Pragmatically, these factors also imply additional costs in the overall health care system. Therefore, it is self-evident that reminders and recommendations from the public and, above all, from the medical professionals for each individual to take care of themselves, follow a healthy lifestyle and thus contribute to the personal maintenance of good physical and mental condition in later years.

However, this recommendation is idealistic in nature and does not always work effectively when a person is affected by a disease associated with loss of mental capacity and ability to make decisions and act accordingly. This is the case with diseases that cause dementia – brain disorders that, despite all efforts and medical support, sooner or later will irreversibly lead to a fatal outcome. One of the most common and dangerous diseases causing dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Often referred to as the “disease of old age”, it affects an increasing proportion of the population, especially in countries where the proportion of older people is increasing due to general well-being, and the quality of healthcare can create a potential risk group for Alzheimer’s disease. Despite intensive research, no medication has yet been discovered that would be able to combat this disease in a timely and effective manner. Hence, the main emphasis at the moment is on early diagnosis, as well as treatment. In both cases, it is intended to promote and train mental capacity or brain function – in the first case, to prevent the disease, and in the second case, to prolong the relatively mild phase and help the patient to maintain personal capacity and social independence for as long as possible.

Likewise, language aspects play an important role in highlighting medical advances, both in diagnosis and patient treatment. First of all, language is used in doctor-patient communication; the correct use of language is an important factor in the aforementioned diagnostics, for example, in mental capacity tests. Language as the main communication tool appears in every area where the Alzheimer’s patient communicates with other people – relatives, doctors, occupational therapists, nursing staff, social institutions, etc., and this communication is two-way. Thus, there is no conceivable sphere of life – either from a medical, social or even legal point of view – in which communication with Alzheimer’s patients or persons suspected of having the disease would be possible without respecting the specific use of the language appropriate to the situation. Finally, it must be considered how linguistic means and communication principles are incorporated into the education of medical professionals and nursing staff, and how messages are used in communication with the public, drawing attention to the seriousness of the situation.

That is why, when studying dementia, there is a tendency in global practice to expand the medical perspective and guide the research in an interdisciplinary direction, for example, in cooperation with social sciences, cognitive sciences and the humanities, for instance, involving linguists in the research. In the Baltic states, such interdisciplinary cooperation in the study of dementia has not yet been established, although efforts have been made to emphasize the importance of cognitive training, as well as language and its use in different contexts. Taking into account this lack of research, which negatively impacts the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and patient care, the linguists of the Department of German Studies of the University of Latvia in cooperation with the linguists and neurologists of the Baltic states reviewed and evaluated the current situation in 2021 within the framework of the annual 79^th International Conference of the University of Latvia, considering further possibilities of closer cooperation in both interdisciplinary and transnational contexts. The publications included in this collection in Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Finnish, reflect only singular but, nevertheless, essential aspects of research and practical experience, which, in our opinion, could stimulate both research and public discourse in the Baltic region, while attracting increased attention to the support of Alzheimer’s patients in all possible areas of treatment and care.

Riga, December 2023

Ineta Balode

Dzintra Lele-Rozentāle

Zanda Priede