The We‐Relationship as a Key to Addressing Dementia‐Related Ambiguous Loss

ABSTRACT Pauline Boss describes the challenges faced by people caring for family members with dementia in terms of ambiguous loss – a condition in which the physical presence of the person with dementia coexists with their psychological absence. This article proposes the concept of we‐relationship as a key to addressing dementia‐related ambiguous loss. Roughly defined, two or more people stand in a we‐relationship if (1) they engage in a joint action and (2) that action can be described using ‘we’ as its subject. We offer a more detailed account of this concept and argue that cultivating a we‐relationship can help caregivers enhance the quality of their interactions with family members with dementia. This suggests that health and social care systems should offer greater support and resources to help caregivers establish and maintain we‐relationships in dementia care contexts.