Them cope with their losses. Not only is this a strengths-based

Them cope with their losses. Not only is this a strengths-based approach (McGovern, 2011), but the interaction helps each couple move beyond the current situation and look at it in the context of their whole sharedDementia (London). Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 July 01.BMS-214662 web Ingersoll-Dayton et al.Pagelife together, recognizing the individuality and fullness of their lives, transcending some of the roles they have assumed because of the illness. The intervention addresses them as a couple working as partners in the context of a long partnership, instead of limiting them to the roles of caregiver and care receiver. It helps them to integrate their experiences, remember high points and low points and, most importantly, relive them together. It solidifies their relationship and their identity as a couple with a long history. We found that in both the United States and Japan, this dyadic approach brought the person with dementia into the conversation. People with dementia, or even early memory loss, are often excluded from this kind of conversation or talked to in a condescending manner (Hamaguchi, 2011). The modeling and encouragement to talk that the interventionists gave to the person with dementia helped the partner learn ways of encouraging their spouse with memory loss to participate. This approach helped to normalize the dementia experience and move away from the perception of the person with dementia as a victim. Taken together, our experiences with the Couples Life Story Approach suggest that it is a promising dyadic model that can be easily translated across cultures. The American and Japanese practitioners found the intervention easy to implement and adaptable to their personal styles as well. While the kinds of couples seen in Japan and the United States have been somewhat different, these variations have helped us feel confident that the Couples Life Story Approach is applicable to many kinds of couples. We welcome other practitioners working in dementia care to use and adapt the Couples Life Story Approach to their own cultural contexts.Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptBiographiesBerit Ingersoll-Dayton is a social worker and a social psychologist. Her research focuses on social relationships in later life, including cross-cultural similarities and differences. She is a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, USA where she is Principal Investigator of the Couples Life Story Project. Beth Spencer is a geriatric social worker specializing in dementia care. Her clinical and research interests focus on caregivers and individuals with memory loss. She is a Project Manager for the Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work at the University of Michigan, USA and also Co-Investigator of the Couples Life Story Project. Ruth Campbell is a social worker specializing in gerontology. Her areas of interest are caregiving and dementia in the United States and Japan, changing family relationships in Japan, and the national long-term care insurance system in Japan. Retired from the University of Michigan where she was Associate Director for Social Work and Community Programs in the Geriatrics Center, she is now Shikonin web affiliated with Keiseikai Gerontology Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Yukiko Kurokawa is a clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on psychotherapy and other interventions for older adults and their families. She is a Professor in the School of Psycholog.Them cope with their losses. Not only is this a strengths-based approach (McGovern, 2011), but the interaction helps each couple move beyond the current situation and look at it in the context of their whole sharedDementia (London). Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 July 01.Ingersoll-Dayton et al.Pagelife together, recognizing the individuality and fullness of their lives, transcending some of the roles they have assumed because of the illness. The intervention addresses them as a couple working as partners in the context of a long partnership, instead of limiting them to the roles of caregiver and care receiver. It helps them to integrate their experiences, remember high points and low points and, most importantly, relive them together. It solidifies their relationship and their identity as a couple with a long history. We found that in both the United States and Japan, this dyadic approach brought the person with dementia into the conversation. People with dementia, or even early memory loss, are often excluded from this kind of conversation or talked to in a condescending manner (Hamaguchi, 2011). The modeling and encouragement to talk that the interventionists gave to the person with dementia helped the partner learn ways of encouraging their spouse with memory loss to participate. This approach helped to normalize the dementia experience and move away from the perception of the person with dementia as a victim. Taken together, our experiences with the Couples Life Story Approach suggest that it is a promising dyadic model that can be easily translated across cultures. The American and Japanese practitioners found the intervention easy to implement and adaptable to their personal styles as well. While the kinds of couples seen in Japan and the United States have been somewhat different, these variations have helped us feel confident that the Couples Life Story Approach is applicable to many kinds of couples. We welcome other practitioners working in dementia care to use and adapt the Couples Life Story Approach to their own cultural contexts.Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptBiographiesBerit Ingersoll-Dayton is a social worker and a social psychologist. Her research focuses on social relationships in later life, including cross-cultural similarities and differences. She is a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, USA where she is Principal Investigator of the Couples Life Story Project. Beth Spencer is a geriatric social worker specializing in dementia care. Her clinical and research interests focus on caregivers and individuals with memory loss. She is a Project Manager for the Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work at the University of Michigan, USA and also Co-Investigator of the Couples Life Story Project. Ruth Campbell is a social worker specializing in gerontology. Her areas of interest are caregiving and dementia in the United States and Japan, changing family relationships in Japan, and the national long-term care insurance system in Japan. Retired from the University of Michigan where she was Associate Director for Social Work and Community Programs in the Geriatrics Center, she is now affiliated with Keiseikai Gerontology Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Yukiko Kurokawa is a clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on psychotherapy and other interventions for older adults and their families. She is a Professor in the School of Psycholog.