Understanding Dementia

Over the last ten years a number of new concepts have emerged within social psychology, gerontology, socio-linguistics and psychotherapy which present a challenge to the view of dementia as simply an organic illness. These ideas have led to service innovations including the development of support groups for people with dementia; the adaptation of psychotherapeutic approaches to this client group; and the development of methods of care evaluation from the perspective of the dementia sufferer. This book seeks to summarize these 'new' ideas thereby bringing together, for the first time, a wide range of critical thinking relating to old age and dementia.

The authors aim to advance a psychological framework from which to understand the experience of dementia from the perspective of the dementia sufferer, so making intelligible the symptoms of dementia and setting out new avenues of care such as the need to adopt psychotherapeutic/counselling approaches as an integral part of care. Including background, clear argument and practical guidelines, this insightful and comprehensive study makes an important contribution to the currently emerging trend in dementia care towards person-centred work.