Hope in caring for the deeply forgetful: enduring selfhood and being open to surprises.

Hope in the context of individuals with dementia and their carers is defined in this paper in terms of an openness to surprises with regard to indicators of continuing self-identity in the individual with dementia, active agency with regard to carers and affected individuals to the extent possible, and the affirmation of a theory of personhood and related moral status that breaks through the limits and prejudices of hypercognitive values.