Main description:

Veteran clinicians offer a unique framework for understanding the psychological origins of behaviors typical of Alzheimer's and other dementias, and for providing appropriate care for patients as they decline. Guidelines are rooted in the theory of retrogenesis in dementia--that those with the condition regress in stages toward infancy--as well as knowledge of associated brain damage. The objective is to meet patients where they are developmentally to best be able to address the tasks of their daily lives, from eating and toileting to preventing falls and wandering. This accessible information gives readers a platform for creating strategies that are respectful, sensitive, and tailored to individual needs, thus avoiding problems that result when care is ineffective or counterproductive.

Featured in the coverage:

Abilities and disabilities during the different stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Strategies for keeping the patient's finances safe.
Pain in those with dementia, and why it is frequently ignored.
"Help! I've lost my mother and can't find her!"
Sexuality and intimacy in persons with dementia.
Instructive vignettes of successful caring interventions.

Given the projected numbers of individuals expected to develop dementing conditions, Care Giving for Alzheimer's Disease will find immediate interest among clinical psychologists, health psychologists, psychiatrists, social

workers, and primary care physicians.

Contents:

Going Back to the Beginning-The Theory of Retrogenesis.- There is No such Thing as a "Little Dementia".- If I Knew My Loved one was in Pain....-Dementia: Strips Individuals of All Skills.- Help! My Mother is Lost and I Can't Find Her.- Getting Food in....And Getting it Out.- Sexuality and Intimacy in those with Dementia.- Communication Commandments.- Whispering Hope and Faith: Still Small Voices for the Alzheimer's Journey.- What Else?...Keeping Good Records; Sundowning; Taking Away the Keys; Making Placement Decisions; Controlling the Money.- Thinking Outside of the Box - Joyce's Story.