Abstract
An in-depth case study of the discourse of an Alzheimer's disease (AD) sufferer reveals a variety of intact social and cognitive abilities as well as intact manifestations of selfhood as viewed from a social constructionist point of view. Intact social and cognitive abilities included those which have been referred to by Kitwood and Bredin as being indicators of relative well-being— indicators understood to be abilities typically found among the healthy, and whose presence thus signals common ground between the healthy and the afflicted. Such abilities are found to exist despite the sufferer's severe losses of cognitive function as measured by standard tests. Possible brain mechanisms supporting such intact abilities are discussed as well as the importance of recognizing such intact abilities. Such recognition can enhance the interaction between AD sufferers and caregivers.