Introducing life story work, a way for people with dementia to connect with their relatives, carers and the professionals working with them. This evidence-based book explains the many benefits of life story work, with practical guidance for introducing it in a variety of settings.The authors show how life story work can empower people with dementia to inform care practitioners and family members what care and support they may need now and in the future, by taking into account their...

In this moving and controversial Quarterly Essay, doctor and writer Karen Hitchcock investigates the treatment of the elderly and dying through some unforgettable cases. With honesty and deep experience, she looks at end-of-life decisions, frailty and dementia, over-treatment and escalating costs.Ours is a society in which ageism, often disguised, threatens to turn the elderly into a “burden” – difficult, hopeless, expensive and homogenous. While we rightly seek to curb treatment w...

In this short, powerful book, Karen Hitchcock shines a light on ageism in our society. Through some unforgettable case studies, she shows what care for the elderly and dying is really like – both the good and the bad. With honesty and deep experience, she looks at end-of-life decisions and over-treatment, frailty and dementia.Dear Life is a moving and controversial argument against the creeping tendency to see the elderly as a “burden”—difficult, hopeless, expensive and ho...

The twentieth century bequeathed us a fabulous gift: thirty more years of life on average. Supersized life spans are going to radically alter society, and present an unprecedented opportunity to change our approach not only to old age but to all of life's stages. The ramifications are just beginning to dawn on us.... yet in the meantime, we keep thinking about, and planning for, life as it used to be lived.In A Long Bright Future, longevity and aging expert Laura Carstense...

'Hi Dad . . . can we have a chat about your dementia . . . Can you remember how it started?'When Ron Husband started to forget things - dates, names, appointments . . . daft things, important things - it took a while to realise that this was 'a different form of forgetting'. But it was just the first sign of the illness that gradually took him away from the family he loved.This is the touching, illustrated story of Tony's father and how dementia slowly took him awa...

For the increasing number of people diagnosed with dementia each year, treatment in the early stages can make a significant difference to their quality of life. This book provides examples of psychosocial interventions: taking into consideration the individual, social and environmental aspects of the person's life.It looks at ways of providing support at the time of diagnosis and goes on to explore a variety of interventions and services for the treatment of early dementia. Bringin...

This authoritative collection sets out the critical role and application of evaluation in identifying and developing good practice in a range of dementia care settings.The contributors discuss the evaluation of care at different levels and in various settings, particularly long stay care, covering evaluation methods, ethics, use of technology and the user's role in the evaluation process itself. Their contributions on evaluating aspects of dementia care ranging from life story work...

Exploring the key issues around anti-discriminatory practice for professionals working in mental health services, this book looks at ways to improve the health and social care of older people from minority and excluded communities.The chapters explore the issues involved in working with individuals from a range of minority groups, such as LGBT people, people with learning disabilities, people from black and minority ethnic communities, homeless people and people with dementia. The ...

As we grow older, our need to be engaged in interesting activities does not diminish and is vital to our quality of life. How to Make Your Care Home Fun examines the need for activities for elderly people in care and offers a practical programme of entertaining activities that can be used in nursing and residential homes, day centres, rehabilitation centres and hospices.As well as suggesting a programme of activities for older people in care homes including arts and crafts, role-pl...

Memory loss can create problems in every aspect of a person's life. The challenge of communicating thoughts and feelings can be made even harder by other people's negative perceptions of dementia.This book provides practical guidance for coping with progressive memory loss, and includes examples of real people who have faced similar challenges. These stories highlight both good and bad ways to deal with the problems that arise, and are also useful for describing the experiences of ...

This book was written specifically for baby boomers who are now faced with caring for their parent in their home, either by choice or by financial circumstances.Detailed step-by-step guide to help the novice caregiver take control of the medical, legal, emotional, mental situations that will be encountered.Detailed, factual, honest day-to-day usable information that every caregiver can use.

Maintaining a connection to nature is increasingly recognised as an important component of caring for a person with dementia. Design for Nature in Dementia Care provides comprehensive examples of ways to connect to nature through indoor and outdoor activities.The author describes a wide range of activities that offer a connection to nature, such as caring for house plants and pets, gardening and cooking, practising handicrafts and domestic chores. He suggests practical ways to inco...