This book examines the growing importance of positive psychology and its connection to later life. * Applies Social Role Valorisation (SVR) principles to care of older people, particularly those with seriously disabling conditions such as dementia, stroke, and multiple health problems * Provides a comprehensive body of positive principles and practical approaches for those who care for older people * Examines the impact of the devaluation of older people s lives in the context of societies dependent on technology * Demonstrates how more age-inclusive societies and open awareness of later-life issues are fundamental to strong communities, as well as to personal happiness and resilience

This report explores the current state of end-of-life care policy and practice in the UK. It focuses in particular on the experiences of older people and incorporates their views and the views of carers. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review, analysis of data from an ESRC-funded study, and the outcomes of a consultation exercise with older people hosted by Help the Aged, the report identifies the range of patterns and circumstances of death and dying In old age; outlines the current policy and practice context; compares the experiences of older people who receive specialist palliative care and those who do not; and explores key issues in older people's accounts of death, dying and bereavement, including their practical, social and spiritual concerns. The issues raised in the report will feed into current debates such as those around palliative health and end-of-life care, and right-to-die legislation.

Slow and delay the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, from memory loss to disorientation, with this practical activity book. Using step-by-step ideas designed to stimulate and entertain, dementia care specialist Helen Lambert explains how engaging in a variety of simple activities can benefit different parts of the brain and help to keep your mind fitter for longer. What's more, everyone can join in: each activity contains hints and tips that not only show you how to do it, but also include ways to adapt the various physical exercises, games, and craft projects for different abilities, or to include family and friends. Dive straight in to discover: -Over 50 activities to choose from accordingly relating to mood, ability and energy level -Panels include a range of advice and highlight the reactions activities may trigger and how to deal with them -Includes general guidance on the nature of memory loss and dementia and how to interact with the condition -Suitable for people with Alzheimer's, Vascular dementia and other types of cognitive impairment. Whether your interests are in music, art, gaming, or gardening, The Memory Activity Book has activities to suit, as well as ideas to inspire anyone looking for guidance on how best to interact with people affected by memory issues, Alzheimer's, or other forms of dementia. Whatever your involvement - friend, relative, partner, or patient - The Memory Activity Book offers a valuable resource for everyone living with dementia.

This edited collection emphasizes the role of social work practice and research related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) aging. It highlights LGBT aging from a gerontological social work perspective by incorporating key values of the profession such as cultural competence, dignity, strengths, and resilience of the population while it offers an important contribution to the body of knowledge to the interdisciplinary field of aging. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work.

Care in context is a thought-provoking book that looks at gender inequalities in the context of care. Drawing in part from unique transnational perspectives and gripping interviews, this book focuses on key questions that intellectuals, policy makers and all of us who care and need care have to ask, such as: What is good care? Who should be involved in providing it? And how should care be arranged and organized so that that the interests of both care givers and care recipients are equally provided for? Care is indispensable to human flourishing. Without it we cannot survive. It is vital to the development of all individuals and to that of the broader society. Increasing economic and health problems have also contributed to mounting care crises in different parts of the world. With this view, the book offers fresh and nuanced perspectives and is a definite must read for all those affected by issues of care.

Are the elderly posing a threat to America's political system with their enormous clout? Are they stretching resources to the breaking point with their growing demands for care? Economist and legal scholar Richard A. Posner explodes the myth that the United States could be on the brink of gerontological disaster. This text seeks to offer fresh insight into a wide range of social and political issues relating to the elderly, such as health care, crime, social security, and discrimination. From the dread of death to the inordinate law-abidingness of the old, from their loquacity to their penny-pinching, Posner paints a surprisingly rich, revealing, and unsentimental portrait of the millions of elderly people in the United States. He explores issues such as age discrimination in employment, creativity and leadership as functions of age, and the changing social status of the elderly. Why are old people, presumably with less to lose, more unwilling to take risks than young people? Why don't the elderly in the United States command the respect and affection they once did and still do in other countries? How does aging affect driving and criminal records? And how does aging relate to creativity across different careers?

Losing the ability to communicate can be a frustrating and difficult experience for people with dementia, their families and carers. As the illness progresses, the person with dementia may find it increasingly difficult to express themselves clearly, and to understand what others say. Intended both for family and professional carers, this book clearly explains what happens to the part of the brain that controls communication as dementia progresses, how this may affect an individual's memory, language and senses, and how carers need to adapt their approach as a result. Advocating a person-centered approach to dementia care, the author describes methods of verbal and non-verbal communication, techniques for communicating with people who can no longer speak or move, and strategies for communicating more effectively in specific situations, including at mealtimes, whilst helping the person with dementia to dress, and whilst out and about. Exercises at the end of each chapter encourage the reader 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.

A woman reluctantly takes on the responsibility of putting her eccentric rebellious mother into a retirement home, and managing her care. She has her own daughter to raise and nurture, a marriage and a business to hold together, and her own psychological troubles due in good part to how she was mothered.

My Mother, My Madness is Colleen Higgs’s diary of her mother’s last ten years. It is at once funny, harrowing, mundane, chaotic, and full of insight. It is a rich and moving story which unfolds through its characters like a novel.

Colleen Higgs is the author of two collections of poetry (Halfborn Woman, 2004, and Lava Lamp Poems, 2011) and a short story collection (Looking for Trouble – Yeoville Stories, 2012). She founded Modjaji Books in 2007 and, after publishing more than 150 books, is still Modjaji’s manager and publisher.

Changing Seasons: A Language Arts Curriculum for Healthy Aging is a language-based, interdisciplinary program that increases interaction and communication skills among older adults. Featuring simple step-by-step lesson plans and interactive activities, Changing Seasons is a practical guide for caregivers and health care professionals to ensure individuals sustain their quality of life as they age. Each activity reveals new, creative, and fun ways to encourage individuals to speak, think, and write, sparking imagination and engagement with others. This new revised edition recognizes the growing importance of technology in communication, and incorporates many lessons learned during pandemic isolation, as communication was often limited to screens. Included is a new chapter that incorporates eight lessons on utilizing videoconferencing platforms. Though technology may evolve, communication will remain key to a sense of community and companionship-whether in person or online. Changing Seasons provides a roadmap to promoting meaningful interactions.

The experiences and needs of residents and patients in nursing and care homes are very different at night, and this is particularly true for those with dementia. Yet nursing and care homes are not always inspected with the same rigour at night as they are during the day, and night staff do not always receive the same levels of training, resources and supervision as day staff. This book provides night staff, their managers and anyone else with an interest in care homes during the night with the information, knowledge and practical skills they need to deliver positive and appropriate care at night. The authors look at all of the issues that are particularly pertinent in caring for older people at night, including nutrition and hydration, continence, challenging behaviour, medication, night time checking, pain management and end of life care. They also look at the impact that working at night has on care staff, and offer practical suggestions to help them to safeguard their own health. The final chapter provides a set of night time care guidelines for inspectors that can also be used by managers to evaluate night time practices in their homes. This book is essential reading for night staff and their managers and employers, as well as inspectors of services, policy makers, and anyone else with an interest in the provision of care for older people.

With a key theme for every week of the year, this resource contains extended multi-sensory reminiscence group session plans for older adults. Written by experienced occupational therapists, it provides detailed session plans for running successful and therapeutically-valuable activities within group sessions, from remembering school days to celebrating the natural wonders of the British Isles. Each plan has been developed to be suitable for people with a variety of abilities, including for those with dementia, and help to support memory, sensory function, confidence, communication, connection, as well as overall physical and emotional wellbeing. Activities range from cognitive activities such as word games, food tasting, music and poetry to group discussions. Session plans are accompanied by downloadable colour photographs and word cards to be used as tools for discussion.

Alzheimer's is swiftly on the rise: it is estimated that every 67 seconds, someone develops the disease. For many, the words 'Alzheimer's disease' or 'dementia' immediately denote severe mental loss and, perhaps, madness. Indeed, the vast majority of media coverage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia focuses primarily on the losses experienced by people diagnosed and the terrible burden felt by care partners yearning for a "magic bullet" drug cure. Providing an accessible, question-and-answer-format primer on what touches so many lives, and yet so few of us understand, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) contributes what is urgently missing from public knowledge: unsparing investigation of their causes and manifestations, and focus on the strengths possessed by people diagnosed. Steven R. Sabat mines a large body of research to convey the genetic and biological aspects of Alzheimer's disease, its clinical history, and, most significantly, to reveal the subjective experience of those with Alzheimer's or dementia. By clarifying the terms surrounding dementia and Alzheimer's, which are two distinct conditions, Sabat corrects dangerous misconceptions that plague our understanding of memory dysfunction. People diagnosed with AD retain awareness, thinking ability, and sense of self; crucially, Sabat demonstrates that there are ways to facilitate communication even when the person with AD has great difficulty finding the words he or she wants to use. From years spent exploring and observing the points of view and experiences of people diagnosed, Sabat strives to inform as well as to remind readers of the respect and empathy owed to those diagnosed and living with dementia. Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia conveys this type of information and more, which, when applied by family and professional caregivers, will help improve the quality of life of those diagnosed as well as of those who provide support and care.

The way in which dementia is understood and treated is changing, with a growing focus on the individual's experience and person-centred approaches to care. Introducing a new model of dementia care that reflects on the role of a person with dementia within a community and their relationships, this guide for professional and family caregivers demonstrates how to facilitate positive relationships for peaceful living. By understanding the cognitive and physical challenges that older adults with dementia face, caregivers can practice empathic care that affords people with dementia increased freedom of expression and independence. Included here are techniques for conflict resolution that enable people with dementia to be active and self-initiating in times of distress and disruption. Looking at the basics of respect, empathy, and mindfulness, this book also provides hands-on training for employing these virtues in practice with a number of exercises to help achieve the goal of peaceful independent living.

Very little is known about why and when African American elders seek formal long-term care, or about the characteristics of assisted living environments they consider most desirable. Drawing on qualitative studies conducted between 1998 and 2001, the authors of Communities of Care provide important information on historic and current trends in assisted living systems serving African Americans.

Focusing on six facilities that have become models of long-term care for African Americans, the authors shed light on the daily lives of the people who live, work, and visit these "communities of care."With detailed profiles of the facilities, interviews, and case histories of care recipients, the authors explore both the institutional and personal characteristics of the facilities and the issues central to their residents.

This definitive work brings to the forefront critical questions about how race, gender, and culture affect the quality of, access to, and cost of care. These questions have broad implications for the policy, administration, and operation of assisted living.

Introduction to Senior Transportation focuses on an issue that is a growing concern-the community mobility needs of older adults. Surpassing the coverage available in existing gerontology textbooks, it enables the reader to understand and appreciate the challenges faced by older adults as they make the transition from driving to using transportation options (many of which were not designed to meet their particular needs). It considers the physical and cognitive limitations of older adult passengers, the family of transportation services, the challenges providers face in meeting the assistance and support needs of senior passengers, and the transportation methods that do and do not currently meet the needs and wants of senior passengers. This textbook addresses the educational and professional development needs of faculty, students, and practitioners working in the fields of aging, aging services, and transportation. The book has been class-tested and features innovative, practical learning tools that appeal to students and practitioners. It complements any introductory course in gerontology, human development and aging, or human factors, and will enhance the curriculum of programs in the social behavioral sciences as well as traffic safety, transit engineering, and community planning.

There are many activity manuals on the market today but this publication is the first to offer a clear guideline on exactly what constitutes good practice in activity provision. Written by the National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People (NAPA), a charity whose remit is to set standards and disseminate knowledge of good practice in activity provision and to support activity providers who work in care settings for older people, this guide offers: a model of good practice in one concise volume; a benchmark against which activity providers can measure and evaluate their practice; clear links to current national standards; guidance for care home owners and managers who wish to respond to the recent government initiatives on providing activities for their clients; and a call for clinical governance in the emerging 'profession' of activity provision.

How to live a full and rewarding life after a dementia diagnosis. Keith Oliver was diagnosed with young onset dementia at the age of 55. Unaware at the time that dementia could affect people of this age, Keith set out to increase public awareness of the condition and dispel the myths about the illness. Using a unique diary format, this intimate and empowering memoir captures what everyday life with dementia is like, offering both a candid look at its struggles, and a profoundly moving account of Keith's journey to live a full life afterwards.

Even as life expectancy in many countries has continued to increase, social security and similar government programs can provide strong incentives for workers to leave the labor force when they reach the age of eligibility for benefits. Disability insurance programs can also play a significant role in the departure of older workers from the labor force, with many individuals in some countries relying on disability insurance until they are able to enter into full retirement. The sixth stage of an ongoing research project studying the relationship between social security programs and labor force participation, this volume draws on the work of an eminent group of international economists to consider the extent to which differences in labor force participation across countries are determined by the provisions of disability insurance programs. Presented in an easily comparable way, their research covers twelve countries, including Canada, Japan, and the United States, and considers the requirements of disability insurance programs, as well as other pathways to retirement.

This first hand report on the work of nurses and other caregivers in a nursing home is set powerfully in the context of wider political, economic, and cultural forces that shape and constrain the quality of care for America's elderly. Diamond demonstrates in a compelling way the price that business-as-usual policies extract from the elderly as well as those whose work it is to care for them.
In a society in which some two million people live in 16,000 nursing homes, with their numbers escalating daily, this thought-provoking work demands immediate and widespread attention.
"[An] unnerving portrait of what it's like to work and live in a nursing home. . . . By giving voice to so many unheard residents and workers Diamond has performed an important service for us all."--Diane Cole, "New York Newsday"
"With "Making Gray Gold," Timothy Diamond describes the commodification of long-term care in the most vivid representation in a decade of round-the-clock institutional life. . . . A personal addition to the troublingly impersonal national debate over healthcare reform."--Madonna Harrington Meyer, "Contemporary Sociology"

The many significant technological and medical advances of the 21st century cannot overcome the escalating risk posed to older adults by such stressors as pain, weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory and other cognitive deficits, hearing loss, visual impairment, isolation, marginalization, and physical and mental illness. In order to overcome these and other challenges, and to maintain as high a quality of life as possible, older adults and the professionals who treat them need to promote and develop the capacity for resilience, which is innate in all of us to some degree. The purpose of this book is to provide the current scientific theory, clinical guidelines, and real-world interventions with regard to resilience as a clinical tool. To that end, the book addresses such issues as concepts and operationalization of resilience; relevance of resilience to successful aging; impact of personality and genetics on resilience; relationship between resilience and motivation; relationship between resilience and survival; promoting resilience in long-term care; and the lifespan approach to resilience. By addressing ways in which the hypothetical and theoretical concepts of resilience can be applied in geriatric practice, Resilience in Aging provides inroads to the current knowledge and practice of resilience from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, culture, creativity, and economics. In addition, the book considers the impact of resilience on critical aspects of life for older adults such as policy issues (e.g., nursing home policies, Medicare guidelines), health and wellness, motivation, spirituality, and survival. Following these discussions, the book focuses on interventions that increase resilience. The intervention chapters include case studies and are intended to be useful at the clinical level. The book concludes with a discussion of future directions in optimizing resilience in the elderly and the importance of a lifespan approach to aging.

The newly revised edition of this popular resource provides caregiving staff with easy-to-understand and powerfully effective ways to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the challenging behaviors of care recipients. Nearly 80% of long-term care residents exhibit some level of difficult behaviors stemming from a wide range of factors including depression, personal distress, declining physical function, or dementia. Care staff will learn how to use this book's proven intervention tools and strategies to identify and satisfy the basic human needs that underlie challenging behaviors, as well as encourage and reinforce positive behaviors. With detailed vignettes illustrating the successful implementation of each recommended technique for addressing common challenging resident behaviors, this new edition also focuses on empowering caregivers to cope with the stress of their roles. Presented in a user-friendly style for anyone working in long-term care settings, this book serves as both a self-study tool and a resource for in-service training. Resources for staff include: Downloadable handouts that summarize core content as well as strategies and models for intervention. Exercises that help staff put concepts into practice. Intervention and behavior tracking forms. Stress-management techniques that help staff with their own reactions to challenging resident behavior. A 5-step treatment plan using a preventative approach. Whether used as a self-help tool, a curriculum for in-services, a training guide for students, or a reference for mental health professionals, Caring for People with Challenging Behaviors, Second Edition is an essential read for anyone working in long-term care. The simple and practical techniques presented will raise the quality of life for care recipients and can transform the overall culture of care. NEW to the second edition! New chapter on the benefits of advance directives over behavior contracts. More intervention strategies and stress-management techniques. Downloadable exercises, forms, posters, and 40 handouts. Additional case studies and instructional displays. 2015 National Mature Media Award (Merit Award Winner)

Almost forty percent of American adults age sixty-five and over spend some time in a nursing home, and residents in nursing homes will be increasingly diverse racially and ethnically because of changing demographics. The decision to place a family member in a nursing home is often extremely difficult, especially when the family belongs to a group with a strong tradition of filial responsibility. Despite these realities, little has been written about the stresses families of diverse cultural backgrounds experience in making this challenging decision.

This book describes the experiences of seventy-five African American and Afro-Caribbean, white Jewish, and Latina/o residents and their relatives and friends who have been their caregivers. Integrating original qualitative research with quantitative data and theoretical perspectives and findings from other studies, Patricia Kolb not only presents new perspectives on how caregiving varies across racial and ethnic backgrounds but also dispels numerous stereotypes about nursing home placement among diverse groups.

Use poetry and the arts to encourage and facilitate communication with people with dementia in a fun and unique way! Dementia Arts guides readers in incorporating poetry, music, and other arts into activity programming to increase interaction and encourage amusement and joy in dementia care. Author Gary Glazner, founder of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project and Institute for Dementia Education and Arts (IDEA), demonstrates how anyone-not just poets or artists-can incorporate creative verbal expression into activities of daily living (as well as day-to-day activities) in an effortless, economical, and enjoyable way. Using simple techniques that build on poetry as a communication tool, you can achieve positive outcomes with people in all stages of dementia, as well as those with challenging behavior. A fun and engaging read, Dementia Arts is perfect for professional and family caregivers, and truly provides the ""recipe"" for communication success through poetry and art.

This well-established and accessible text has been completely revised in this expanded fifth edition. Each chapter has been updated, often extensively, to reflect current thinking, and an important new chapter on death, dying and bereavement has been added. Providing a comprehensive overview of the psychological processes of ageing, the text examines what constitutes older age, and presents the latest theory and research in a variety of domains, including intellectual change in later life; ageing and memory; ageing and language; ageing, personality and lifestyle; and mental health and ageing. Consideration is given to the problems inherent in measuring the psychological status of older people, and the author looks to the future to answer the question "what will constitute 'being old'?" This new edition is essential reading for all those working or training to work with older people, and a key text for students.