This important book simply but persuasively demonstrates why we should provide the opportunities for people with dementia to experience the great outdoors. It also gives a voice to people with dementia who have felt the benefit of getting closer to nature. The contributors explore many different ways in which people with dementia can experience and interact with nature through pursuits such as farming, gardening and walking, and the book includes a chapter on the therapeutic, life-enhancin...

Establishing playfulness as an essential component of dementia care, this positive and uplifting book will be key in changing attitudes and providing ideas for new and valuable ways of interacting and being with individuals with the condition.John Killick explores the nature of playfulness and the many ways in which it can enrich the lives of people with dementia, including as a means of maintaining relationships and communication, supporting communication and generally lifting the...

How can positive psychology approaches help us to understand the process of adjustment to, and living well with dementia?As accounts of positive experiences in dementia are increasingly emerging, this book reviews current evidence and explores how psychological constructs such as hope, humour, creativity, spirituality, wisdom, resilience and personal growth may be linked with wellbeing and quality of life in dementia. Expert contributors from a range of academic and clinical backgr...

Positive shifts in attitudes mean that emphasis is now being placed on the person with dementia and their personal relationships, rather than the illness. There is also growing recognition of the significance of a person's spiritual life in forming an essential basis for their sense of identity, and in providing them with a resource for coping.Offering an inter-disciplinary approach to spirituality and personhood in dementia care, the contributors to this book are leading practitio...

Poetry is an engaging and inclusive activity for older people that can help develop memory, imagination and identity. This book provides guidance on setting up and monitoring poetry projects for people living with dementia in group care homes and individual families. It explains the benefits of creative expression for people with dementia, and shows how to facilitate poetry reading and writing groups in different environments.Specific techniques for introducing poetry to older peop...

Providing people with dementia with opportunities to engage in creative activity can play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing communication, and in reinforcing personhood and identity. This thoughtful book describes how people with dementia, and the people who work with and care for them, can foster and develop a creative approach, and provides rich and varied ideas for creative activities.The authors explore the concept of creativity - what exactly it is, its particular re...

As the Baby Boomer Generation continues to age, experts predict that dementia will become epidemic. Caught in the middle are their loved ones who struggle to take care of them.In The Long Goodbye, Beth Patterson brings to light the suffering and grief of all who are affected by this terrible disease, and provides some tips for caregivers in caring for their loved ones with dementia and themselves.Patterson has worked as a hospice coordinator and grief counselor, giving her ...

More than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia. By the year 2030, experts estimate that as many as 66 million people around the world will be faced with this life-altering disease. Unfortunately, these staggering statistics impact millions of caregivers, too. Compared with all types of caregivers, those who assist someone with dementia experience the highest levels of burnout, depression, poor health, and premature death. A Dig...

Person-centred dementia care relies on leadership that supports the ongoing process of learning about and valuing individuals, their feelings, strengths and needs, and using this knowledge to enhance wellbeing and create a positive care environment.With a strong practical focus and many helpful case examples, this book will equip readers with the practical skills, knowledge and confidence necessary to lead person-centred dementia care. The areas explored are relevant across a wide ...

Reminiscence is a valuable tool for the professional carer as well as those who are looking after a family member or friend. It enhances and enriches the care relationship, and benefits both the person being cared for and the carer.This fully-updated fourth edition is full of practical information on planning and running successful reminiscence work. It will enable carers and health and social care practitioners to develop the attitude, knowledge, understanding, values and skills t...

For many families, a diagnosis of dementia is an ending. For Deborah Shouse, it was a beginning, My mother taught me how to celebrate and appreciate what we have right now.” Through her mother’s dementia, Deborah discovered compassion, deepening love, and increased connection with her mother and her family. Love in the Land of Dementia offers hope to family members, friends, and care partners of people who are living with memory loss. Strong, fluid organization and tender writing...

This true, heart-wrenching love story will enlighten and offer support to those who struggle with the brutality and inevitability of Alzheimer's Disease. Readers will identify with the compassion of one care giver in comparison with the brutality of the disease itself.When I think of who my mother was in her prime, and who she became in the end, it's like imagining two different people. She too was a graduate from nursing school in 1943. Care giving was natural for her. She came fr...