Even in the later stages of the disease, when memory, words and relationships are affected, it is possible for people with dementia to express emotions, imagination, humour, sensitivities and personal preferences. This book demonstrates the many ways in which puppetry and associated art forms such as singing and story-telling can be used in a person-centred way to create opportunities for these human responses to emerge. The author describes different scenarios in which puppetry can help facilitate connections, including in response to changes in relationships, communicating when words fail and in times of distress or conflict. She explains how puppets can be used to stimulate memories, celebrate life achievements and promote self-esteem and confidence, as well as with those nearing the end of life as part of palliative care. Strategies for introducing puppetry and other forms of creative stimulation into daily care are suggested, and real examples are used to illustrate how creativity may benefit the person with dementia beyond the immediate session. Step-by-step instructions for making a variety of puppets are also included. This thought-provoking book will be a source of inspiration and practical ideas for care staff and activity coordinators, creative arts therapists, occupational therapists, puppeteers and other artists working in care settings, as well as relatives of people with dementia looking for new ways to connect with their loved ones.

How do you ensure the best possible care for the elders in your life? This is the question Carol Chiarito asked when she began the process of finding an assisted living community for her mother, Doris. But everywhere she looked, she was confronted with meaningless jargon and a deluge of information that was often difficult to understand. When Carol couldn't find a clear, practical guide to consumer-centered eldercare, she wrote her own. It's As Simple As Where You Live: A Guide for Beginning the Journey Through Eldercare offers invaluable tips, guidelines, and strategies for people navigating this important life change. Whether you are caring for both parents, just Mom or Dad, or a beloved grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend; whether you have siblings to share the responsibility or are the sole caretaker; whether you live in New York City or San Francisco, Toronto or San Antonio; whether your elder is a thousand miles away, down the street, or in your own home-there are elements of the journey we all share. This book will introduce you to a community of people who are on the same path, and who have found the answers they were seeking. Aging is inevitable. But aging with grace and dignity, in a warm and loving community, is a choice. At the end of the day, it's as simple as where you live.

For millions of Americans, the heartbreak of watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer's disease is a pain they know all too well. Alzheimer's disease burdens an increasing number of our Nation's elders and their families, and it is essential that we confront the challenge it poses to our public health. In 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the National Alzheimer's Project to create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's disease; co-ordinate Alzheimer's disease research and services across all federal agencies; accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's disease; improve early diagnosis and co-ordination of care and treatment of Alzheimer's disease; improve outcomes for ethnic and racial minority populations that are at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease; co-ordinate with international bodies to fight Alzheimer's globally. This book addresses each of these points and provides further insight on the national plan to address this disease.

Alzheimer's disease is an illness of the brain. It causes large numbers of nerve cells in the brain to die. This affects a person's ability to remember things and think clearly. People with AD become forgetful and easily confused. They may have a hard time concentrating and behave in odd ways. These problems get worse as the illness gets worse, making it more difficult for caregivers. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease is a challenge that calls upon the patience, creativity, knowledge, and skills of each caregiver. This book is for those who provide in-home care for people with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. The goal is to improve home safety by identifying potential problems in the home and offering possible solutions to help prevent accidents.

In this book, an award-winning journalist tells the story of people devising innovative ways to live as they approach retirement, options that ensure they are surrounded by a circle of friends, family, and neighbors. Based on visits and interviews at many communities around the country, Beth Baker weaves a rich tapestry of grassroots alternatives, some of them surprisingly affordable

-- an affordable mobile home cooperative in small-town Oregon

-- a senior artists colony in Los Angeles

-- neighbors helping neighbors in "Villages" or "naturally occurring retirement communities"

-- intentional cohousing communities

-- best friends moving in together

-- multigenerational families that balance togetherness and privacy

-- niche communities including such diverse groups as retired postal workers, gays and lesbians, and Zen Buddhists.

Drawing on new research showing the importance of social support to healthy aging and the risks associated with loneliness and isolation, the author encourages the reader to plan for a future with strong connections. Baker explores whether individuals in declining health can really stay rooted in their communities through the end of life and concludes by examining the challenge of expanding the home-care workforce and the potential of new technologies like webcams and assistive robots.

This book is the recipient of the annual Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Prize for the best project in the area of medicine.

Older people are the biggest service user group for social workers and an increasing proportion of the population. In this refreshingly positive and practical textbook, Rory Lynch draws on years of practice and teaching experience to show how to achieve best social work practice with older adults. He takes a person-centred approach, which fosters respect by valuing the fact that elderly people have more lived experience than others. Exploring the key theoretical approaches and methods of intervention, this book helps social workers to identify, understand and facilitate their service users' wishes for well-being and a fulfilling older age. Chapters are practice-driven, containing case studies drawn from a range of care settings, reflective questions and exercises. Mapping directly onto the key modules on the social work degree, this is essential reading for all student social workers, especially as they prepare to go on their practice placement. It is also valuable reading for qualified social workers. Rory Lynch is Lecturer in Social Work at Robert Gordon University.

The topic of communication in elderly care is becoming ever more pressing, with an aging world population and burgeoning numbers of people needing care. This book looks at this critical but underanalyzed area. It examines the way people talk to each other in eldercare settings from an interdisciplinary and globally cross-cultural perspective. The small body of available research points to eldercare communication taking place with its own specific conditions and contexts. Often, there is the presence of various mental/physical ailments on the part of the care receivers, scarcity of time, resources and/or flexibility on the part of the care givers, and a mutual necessity of providing/receiving assistance with intimate personal activities. The book combines theory and practice, with linguistically informed analysis of real-life interaction in eldercare settings across the world. Each chapter closes with a "Practical Recommendations" section that contains suggestions on how communication in eldercare can be improved. This book is an important and timely publication that will appeal to researchers and carers alike.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

Sandra Gaffney entered her first nursing home for long-term care at the unusually young age of fifty. Fourteen years earlier she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next sixteen years, Gaffney lived in nursing homes in Florida, Virginia, and Minnesota, as the ways she could be close to family changed.

She describes her situation in these words: "As a nursing home resident, I require total or maximum care. I have limited use of my hands and arms. With special splints, I am able to turn the pages of my books, use the telephone and TV/VCR/FM radio remote control. When my cup is positioned properly, I can drink independently. I am able to walk with a platform walker and the help of two nursing assistants. My walking is not functional; it is only for exercise. After I moved into my third nursing home, I learned to operate a power wheelchair by using an adaptive switch between my knees. ... All other areas of physical care have to be done for me. My speech is impaired. If people listen carefully, they can understand what I am saying. ... I am able to eat regular food and breathe on my own."

Gaffney became an acute observer and strategist about how to live in a nursing home. Her first-person account, dictated to family members and assistants, covers making the decision to enter a nursing home, choosing the right one, and understanding its culture. She talks about how to furnish your room and about all the issues that arise in a resident's typical day. She has much to say about communication with staff and family about "how to help others help me." Gaffney's daughters, Amy and Bridget, and her friend Ellen Potter provide additional perspectives on the caregiving experience.

This book examines the risks and benefits of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). CCRCs can benefit older Americans by allowing them to move among and through independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care in one community. They offer a range of contract types and fees that are designed to provide long-term care and transfer different degrees of the risk of future cost increases from the resident to the CCRC. Developing CCRCs can be a lengthy, complex process that requires significant long-term financing and accurate revenue and cost projections. Once operational, risks to long-term viability include declining occupancy and unexpected cost increases. While few CCRCs have failed, challenging economic and real estate market conditions have negatively affected some CCRCs occupancy and financial conditions.

Geropsychology-the field of psychology concerned with the psychological, behavioral, biological, and social aspects of aging-has developed repidly in the past two decades, in response to the ever increasing aging population worldwide. This clinical casebook describes current best practice in managing complex cases involving common mental health issues in later life. It includes chapters by leading authorities in the field-experienced practitioners, researchers, and educators-who address contemporary issues in clinical work with older adults. It will be useful for clinicians wishing to update their practice, educators looking for case material to enrich their didactic courses, and students and practitioners new to working with older adults seeking guidance in approaching casework with this population. The book spans the international arena of practice, illustrating both universal themes in clinical work as well as regional practice issues that can inform health professionals more broadly. Each chapter is designed to inform the reader about the rich context in which clinical work occurs, including how the setting, the therapist's approach, and the nature of the problem interact to influence outcomes. Throughout, the cases have been carefully chosen to reflect archetypal scenarios and provide practical, empirically informed guidance for assessment, formulation, and formulation, and interventions. The cases deal with complex issues of diagnosis and formulation, assessment and intervention techniques, ethical and legal issues, and interdisciplinary perspectives that will appeal to a wide range of mental health professionals. The text provides points for reflection from the cases, as well as key references in the area, with an emphasis on current issues and theoretical perspectives. Providing a range of expertise in a single source, the Casebook of Clinical Geropsychology is an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the mental health needs of older people.

Being old is different in many ways: different from what we anticipated in younger years, different from other chapters in our lives, and, nowadays, different from what it has been in the past. Above all, is a totally new individual experience and different for each person. To look at the complexity of these differences is the aim of this book. In "Being Old is Different" some basic person-centred principles and their implementation in everyday care are described; the themes that become relevant in the last chapters of life, and their impact on care for old people, are highlighted.The book aims to demonstrate why the Person-Centred Approach is particularly useful in this field; how it can be transferred into practice; how it helps to improve the life quality of old people and, at the same time, make work more satisfying for carers. Marlis Portner's book is not about specific nursing or therapy methods but about fundamental principles, which are valuable in different areas of care. The term 'carer', therefore, is used here for all those who, professionally or voluntarily, work with old people, and the term 'care' embraces nursing as well as therapeutic and supportive activities.

A candid, humane, and improbably humorous look at the world of eldercare
In nursing homes across the country, members of the Greatest Generation are living out their last days. Life is a succession of pokes and prods, medications, TV, bingo, and, possibly, talking to Ira Rosofsky. With a compassionate eye but mordant wit, Rosofsky, a psychologist charged with gauging the mental health of his elders, reveals a culture based not in the empathy of caretaking, but rather in the coolly detached bureaucracy of Medicare and Medicaid.
A portrayal of what is increasingly becoming the last slice of life for many, "Nasty, Brutish, and Long" is also a baby boomer's poignant meditation on mortality, a reflection on his caregiving for his parents' final days, and an examination of the choices that we, as a society, have made about health care for the elderly who are no longer of sound mind and body.

Population aging is occurring worldwide. Reports of abuse and neglect of older men and women are also evident on a global basis. While much of the work on identification, treatment and prevention of abuse of older persons has been within the family setting, it cannot be separated from the broader experience of growing old in contemporary society. Time and time again, issues around legislation, policy and practice collide with human rights, societal attitudes and stereotypes.

Raising awareness of the linkamong aging, ageism and abuse, is one goal of this book and a necessary first step in the battle to eliminate abuse and neglect of older persons. But awareness is not enough, action needs to be taken to develop, case finding procedures and remedial and preventive policies and programs that are elder-friendly both in intent and in the way that they are implemented. This book offers a thought-provoking examination of selected current policies and programs that have been developed within the health, social services and criminal justice systems. It highlights the special issues and vulnerabilities of older women, older men and persons from the LGTB community. It also features a unique approach to reaching young people through an educational program that shapes attitudes and behavior via graphic art.
* Clear, straightforward writing style - reader does not have to contend with murky theories and obscure references

* Practical approach - readers can relate to the examples that are provided of situations in which abuse and neglect has or can occur"

As the baby-boomer generation ages, nursing home care is likely to become a major social problem. New residents will put huge strains on already short staffing at a time when funding to government-assisted homes (75 percent of all nursing homes) is lower than ever.
Based on her ten years of experience working as a Licensed Practical Nurse in many care facilities, attorney Donna M. Reed shares her insider knowledge to help ensure that nursing home residents receive the best care possible. Reed focuses on the following key points:
- The legal requirements of nursing homes regarding delivery of care
- The ways in which many nursing homes regularly break these laws
- Detailed descriptions of how the typical nursing home operates
- The responsibilities of each nursing home employee
- Nursing home inspections
- Residents' rights
- How to avoid substandard care
- What actions to take to improve nursing home life
Reed's firsthand knowledge of nursing home care and her in-depth understanding of the legal requirements that protect residents offer invaluable information to readers concerned about nursing home care for a loved one.

Thirty million people today care for ailing family members in their own homes--a number that will increase dramatically over the next decade as baby boomers enter old age, as soldiers return home from war mentally and physically wounded, as medical advances extend lives and health insurance fails to cover them.

Offering both companionship and guidance to the people who find themselves caring for their intimates, "An Uncertain Inheritance" is a collection of essays from some of the country's most accomplished writers. Poignant, honest, sometimes heartbreaking, often wry, and funny, here is a book that examines caregiving from every angle, revealing the pain, intimacy, and grace inherent in this meaningful relationship.

Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Addresses The Unmet Needs Of Care Managers Working With Aging Clients As Well As The Client's Entire Family. With Its In-Depth Focus On The " Aging Family System, This Book Fills A Gap For Medical Case Managers And Geriatric Care Managers Giving Them Tools To Better Meet The Treatment Goals Of Aging Clients And Their Families, As The Older Clients Move Through The Continuum Of Care In Institutional Based Settings Or Community Based Settings. Care Managers: Working With The Aging Family Uniquely Focuses On Helping The Entire Family Unit Through The Process Of Death And Dying, Helping Midlife Siblings To Work Together To Render Care To Aging Parents. It Adds Proven Techniques To The Care Manager Repertoire Such As Family Meetings, Forgiveness, Technology, And Care Giver Assessment. It Offers Multiple Tools To Do An Effective Care Plan So That Both The Needs Of The Family And The Older Client Are Met.

As the population of retirees between the ages of 65 and 75 continues to grow, professionals, researchers, and educators in all areas of the health care and the business sectors will require more expertise on the latest trends to make better decisions and improve systems.

Contributed by nationally recognized experts, "The Crown of Life: Dynamics of the Early Post-Retirement Period" presents some of the most important and current decision-making research describing life between the ages of 65 and 75. Topics cover many aspects and social issues of retirement including: Demographics Functioning and Well-being Aging Black Americans Late Middle Age The Impact of Work Change and Stability Health and Religiousness Social Relations Leisure Activities Male Satisfaction Everyday Life Gay Lives Retirement Community Life

For anyone interested in the key issues and current trends of this growing population, editors Jacquelyn Boone James and Paul Wink provide one of the most important and current expert collections dedicated to the Crown of Life period.

About the Series...
Now celebrating its 26th year, this series of annual reviews, established by Carl Eisdorfer, is designed to encompass the broad spectrum of concerns in aging, including psychology, biology, medicine, sociology, and public policy. The goal is to present reviews of the highest quality and to address those important questions that are salient to all gerontologists.

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.

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.