The Simplicity Of Dementia

This book offers an accessible and sympathetic introduction for relatives, carers and professionals looking after or training to work with people with dementia. Drawing on the two `laws of dementia', the author explains the causes of communication problems, mood disturbances and `deviant' behaviours, with particular emphasis on how these are experienced by dementia sufferers themselves. Case examples demonstrate the typical symptoms and progression of dementia, and clear guidance is provided on how to support dementia sufferers at every stage and help them deal with the challenges posed by their condition. Relatives and carers will find this book a source of essential information and encouragement to deal confidently with the difficulties posed by the condition both for people with dementia and those around them.

This innovative book sets out practical guidance for people with dementia, their families and carers on reducing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Applying a 'rementia' based approach to dementia care, Jackie Pool shows how therapeutic cognitive rehabilitation techniques can be used to reduce symptoms of dementia and ultimately improve quality of life for people living with dementia. Covering topics such as nutrition, stress, communication, memory and sleep, it provides all the tools and information necessary to build a personalised and flexible self-care plan which will improve and sustain quality of life. By clearing away the myths and stigma surrounding dementia, this book creates room for cooperation, creativity and hope.

Losing the ability to communicate can be a frustrating and difficult experience for people with dementia, their families and carers. As the disease progresses, the person with dementia may find it increasingly difficult to express themselves clearly, and to understand what others say. Written with both family and professional carers in mind, this book clearly explains what happens to communication as dementia progresses, how this may affect an individual's memory, language and senses, and how carers might need to adapt their approach as a result. Advocating a person-centred approach to dementia care, the author describes methods of verbal and non-verbal communication, techniques for communicating with people who can not speak or move easily, and strategies for communicating more effectively in specific day-to-day situations, including at mealtimes, whilst helping the person with dementia to bathe or dress, and whilst out and about. Exercises at the end of each chapter encourage the carer to reflect on their learning and apply it to their own circumstances, and guidelines for creating a life story with the person with dementia as a means of promoting good communication are also included. This concise, practical book is essential reading for family caregivers, professional care staff, and all those who work with, or who are training to work with, people with dementia.

'Finding the Light in Dementia: a guide for families, friends and caregivers' is an essential book that explains common changes that can occur in those living with dementia. By offering valuable approaches, tips and suggestions interspersed with individuals' stories, the reader can learn to care for and maintain a connection with their loved one (care partner). Whether you're a spouse, partner, daughter, son, sibling, friend or even a parent caring for a loved one living with dementia, this book is for you. Finding the Light in Dementia will help give you more confidence to care by: Supporting you through your partner's diagnosis of dementia Helping you understand what your partner is experiencing Teaching you ways to communicate and connect with each other Helping you make subtle changes to your home to help your partner feel safe and content Introducing practical and creative ways to stimulate memories to help with day to day living Showing you how to create lifestories together Suggesting ways to keep your partner interested and engaged in meaningful activities Providing tips for sleeping, eating and drinking Suggesting ways to help your partner with their appearance and dignity Showing you ways of overcoming the challenges of changing behaviour, reactions and responses Helping reduce the effects of hallucinations, delusions and misperceptions Suggesting ways for you to care for yourself Involving families and friends Giving advice when considering professional care at home and in residential care Knowing how tired and stressed you may feel, 'Finding the Light in Dementia' is written in bite sized chunks that makes it easy to follow. By giving you space to write down any points you would like to make and providing question sheets for you to refer to when speaking with your doctor and/or legal professionals you can make this your personal guide. When following the approaches in this book, you should find that your partner will feel more understood and you will become calmer thereby helping you both find a sense of connection and continue to live well.

The process of dementia makes the experience of day-to-day living an acute challenge. This could be mediated with educated and timely inputs and the caring contract negotiated to preserve both dignity and quality of life. The premise of the adaptive response model is that armed with the knowledge of human systems and their ability to adapt and adjust and with a firm application and emphasis on person-centred approaches to dementia care then the experience can be enhanced and living with one of the dementias can be made less traumatic. This holistic approach proposes a method of using environmental and social psychology to maximise function in the individual and to minimise the negative and destructive elements of the perceived and real environment.

Dementia affects more than 700,000 people in the UK; Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 417,000 people in the UK and some four million in the USA. While dementia affects mostly older people, some 17,000 young people also have dementia in the UK. There are treatments, but no cure. Caring for people with dementia is a well-recognized burden, but recently there have been moves to represent this in a more positive light, emphasising people with dementia as individuals who deserve respect, rather than as the challenge as which they have traditionally been viewed. Nevertheless, for individual carers without enough support, having a loved one with dementia often remains challenging. This book looks at practicalities and relationships, including: Defining Alzheimer's and other dementias; Diagnosis; After diagnosis; planning for the future; Medications to help with symptoms such as memory problems, wandering, and aggressive behavior; Other therapies such as music therapy; Practicalities: coping with strange behaviour, confusion, memory problems. Outside help and services and how to access them; Later stages of dementia; issues to consider such as residential care, financial arrangements, wills and living wills and coping with being a carer.

In this comprehensive yet accessible guide, Brian Draper, a leading expert on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, describes the symptoms, treatment and management of the condition. Covering everything from assessment and diagnostic processes to drug and psychosocial treatments, community and residential care options, assistive technology, support for carers, ethical and legal considerations, end of life decisions and the latest research and treatment developments, the book provides a complete road map for those supporting someone with the condition, in either a professional or personal capacity. The book will demystify the condition and increase understanding about why it occurs, current treatments and how it may be managed. Filled with useful information and advice, it will be an invaluable resource for relatives and carers, and a useful reference on the desk of any professional working with individuals with dementia.

This textbook provides a state of the art of the knowledge on the prevalence, risk and etiological factors, clinical features, assessment procedures and tools, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognosis of the psychiatric disorders encountered in people with intellectual disability (ID) and low-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ID and ASD represent two meta-syndromic groups of several different conditions, each with particular cognitive and communication features. People with ID/ASD display an increased prevalence of a variety of psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and stress-related disorders, somatoform disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well behavioral syndromes, personality disorders, and disorders due to psychoactive substance use. This book will enable readers to understand the specificities of psychiatric disorders in the context of ID/ASD. It explains clearly how diagnostic criteria and assessment procedures for psychiatric disorders that were created for the general population have to be modified for use with ID/ASD. Above all, it will enable clinicians to overcome difficulties in diagnosis and to deliver more effective care that meets the particular needs of patients with ID/ASD.