Selected gestures and paratheatrical forms as tools used in supporting communication with older adults

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to show the strategies for supporting social communication of older adults by using gestures and paratheatrical forms. In the conducted analyses the authors have used references to research in the field of neuropsychology, psychogeriatrics and a phenomenologically-oriented concept of embodied cognition. In this context, links between that last category and body memory, as well as research into mirror neurons, are shown. Also, the relationship between motion activation, language communication of seniors and stimulating neural circuits responsible for cognitive processes is pointed out. Moreover, attention is paid to the functions of gesture systems, as well as the stages of introducing paratheatrical forms into the processes of supporting language communication competences of seniors. The paper fits into the interdisciplinary reflection on the quality of life in old age in the 21 st century, and is also part of a larger project concerning psychocultural, gerontological and logopedic conditions of intergenerational communication.