The Theory of Rhythmic Synergy in Caregiving for Older Adults Living With Dementia

ABSTRACT This manuscript sets forth a theory of rhythmic synergy to depict the dynamic and adaptive process of communication and sensemaking that caregivers experience when caring for someone living with dementia. The theory emerged from in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 31 adult family caregivers of a person living with dementia. Rhythmic synergy refers to a higher‐order, relationally entrained state in which the caregiver perceives an implicit knowing of their person living with dementia and how to interact with them. It is developed over time through a process where the caregiver iteratively responds to the person living with dementia and strategically engages in adapting their verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors (i.e., rhythms) and sensing a kind of togetherness or presence (i.e., relational synergy) that fosters positive outcomes for the caregiver and person living with dementia. The theory also addresses the ways in which members of a care partner network can enhance or disrupt the process of developing rhythmic synergy. Importantly, the theory helps explain how temporality is crucial in understanding communication in dementia caregiving, including symptom progression, increasing care demands, and changes in the network of care partners over time.