Enabling People with Dementia: Understanding and Implementing Person-Centred Care

This new updated edition draws on the theory of person-centred care to challenge the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of professionals working in dementia care settings. It shows the importance of interacting with and caring for people with dementia and stresses the need to consider the world from the perspective of people with dementia.

New chapters in this edition develop on the management of end-stage dementia and end of life by underlining the importance of advanced care decisions and planning, or of psychosocial and spiritual support. New chapters will also help manage distress and changes in behaviour as well as common symptoms associated with end of life in dementia.
In addition, this book studies dementia care environments, positive interactions, meaningful activities and the concept of personhood, to show their significance in improving the health and well-being of people living with dementia.

Finally, this book gives a voice to the carers by sharing their experiences of dementia, and underscores the need to remember that the focus of care should be on maximizing the person's abilities, enabling them, and promoting person-centred care.

Autorentext

"Pat is an Independent Nurse Consultant, dual qualified in both mental health and general nursing. Pat gained her Msc in Gerontology in 2013 (which focused on key aspects relating to mental capacity and safeguarding in older people, and a Bsc Nursing in 2001 (in which her research was on rehabilitation in people with dementia). Her professional journey began in 1994, when she first stepped into the field of dementia care, commitment that has shaped her career and influenced practice across the health and social care sectors.

A recognised expert in her field, she has developed innovative models and care pathways across dementia, safeguarding, and complex case management tools. Her contributions extend beyond service delivery; she has worked across public, private, and charitable sectors, providing strategic and governance-level support as well as operational and frontline leadership. In addition to her consultancy work, she is also a lecturer in nursing, dedicated to educating, coaching and mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals. As a published author, she continues to influence national and international conversations with her dementia book and journal articles cited in various academic resources and guidance. Pat has also presented at international conferences in dementia care in the past, as well as national conferences in safeguarding and patient safety.

Throughout her career, she has held a range of senior and leadership roles within the NHS, private hospitals, charities and care homes, in the UK, where she has championed person-centred care and implemented a variety of theoretical models into real-world dementia practice. Her work has not only improved standards of care but has also influenced organisational culture and policy in services supporting people living with dementia. Pat has been instrumental in implementing a range of theories in dementia from medical, social, behavioural and psychosocial models with a key focus on identifying the best evidence based practice that empowers people with dementia and their loved ones. Since 1996, Pat has focused and implemented Tom Kitwood s person centred theory, however has also implemented other person centred models in dementia care. Pat developed her own Unique Life. World. Environment: Model of Dementia Care that focuses on providing a seamless pathway for people living with dementia and their loved ones, which she delivered to a number of care homes from 2009-2014."

Inhalt

Background to Person-Centred Care Theory.- Malignant Social Psychology (MSP): Behaviours.- Positive Person Work (PPW): Behaviours That Promote Dignity.-

Person-Centred Models in Dementia.-

Experiences of the Person with Dementia and How It Affects Them.- Different Stages and Types of Dementia.-

Implementing Person-Centred Communication.- Managing Behaviours That Challenge.- Designing Environments That Enable.-

Maintaining Meaningful Activities.-

Understanding carer s experiences of dementia.- Management of End-Stage Dementia and End of Life.-

Conclusion.