Writing Your Self is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wants to explore personal material in their writing. It examines how many writers use personal subject matter in memoirs, poems, journals and novels. Part One focuses on universal experiences including childhood, identity, adult relationships and loss as well as more specific issues such as displacement and disability, physical and mental illness and abuse. Throughout the book writers, including the authors, give frank, firsthand accounts of their own experiences and how they have tackled writing about them. Part Two begins with a series of techniques for approaching personal material which include practical exercises and examples. It also considers the differences between raw and finished writing and the validity of each and offers ideas for developing work. With its wide range of writers and the exciting possibilities it offers, Writing Your Self is a definitive book for exploring personal literature and life writing.

So far as we are aware, there has never been a book before with this title or aim. This may be because no-one has been foolhardy enough to attempt one! And it is true that this is a story in mid-flow, even perhaps still near the beginning. But the subject is so complex, and surrounded with so many misconceptions that, even in a truncated form, it needs to be told. John Killick has chosen a simple but effective format. Each of the nine main chapters focuses on an individual or individuals (twelve in number) who, in his view, have made significant contributions to our knowledge. The message is one of hope. Although the medical model has yielded little in the way of advances, that is not true of psychosocial initiatives. This little book tells the hidden story of positive approaches, and those who have devoted their lives to finding alternative creative solutions to one of today’s great challenges. If your life is at all touched by dementia, you should be reading it.

This book is not about the past, which has gone. Or the future, which is uncertain. But it is for those who want to improve the lives of people with dementia and themselves in the Here and Now. The book is not written by an expert but by a man seeking to find new approaches concerning dementia who wishes to share his discoveries. Killick steers clear of any sort of medical terminology and instead nurtures the often neglected aspects of dementia, thereby reinforcing to the reader that these are of no lesser importance. In recognition that we are all in this together, Killick gives equal prominence to quotations from, and conversations with, people with dementia and their carers.

This book is not about the past, which has gone. Or the future, which is uncertain. But it is for those who want to improve the lives of people with dementia and themselves in the Here and Now. The book is not written by an expert but by a man seeking to find new approaches concerning dementia who wishes to share his discoveries. Killick steers clear of any sort of medical terminology and instead nurtures the often neglected aspects of dementia, thereby reinforcing to the reader that these are of no lesser importance. In recognition that we are all in this together, Killick gives equal prominence to quotations from, and conversations with, people with dementia and their carers.

How can positive psychology approaches help us to understand the process of adjustment to, and living well with dementia? As accounts of positive experiences in dementia are increasingly emerging, this book reviews current evidence and explores how psychological constructs such as hope, humour, creativity, spirituality, wisdom, resilience and personal growth may be linked with wellbeing and quality of life in dementia. Expert contributors from a range of academic and clinical backgrounds examine the application of positive psychological concepts to dementia and dementia care practice. The lived experiences of people with dementia are central to the book, and their voices bring life to the ideas explored, highlighting how positive experiences in dementia and dementia care are possible.

Killick illustrates this book with a series of vignettes taken from his own experience as an only child. It follows him as he grows up, featuring moments both pivotal and seemingly mundane. Onlyness explores the nature of what it means to grow up as an only child, and the ongoing effect that the only child's experiences have on his or her adult life.

Establishing playfulness as an essential component of dementia care, this positive and uplifting book will be key in changing attitudes and providing ideas for new and valuable ways of interacting and being with individuals with the condition. John Killick explores the nature of playfulness and the many ways in which it can enrich the lives of people with dementia, including as a means of maintaining relationships and communication, supporting communication and generally lifting the spirits. Specific approaches already in existence are described, including improvised drama, clowning and laughter yoga, and a chapter on the playful approach to art and craft activities is also included. Personal accounts of playfulness by individuals with dementia, relatives and an actor with a decade's experience of using playful approaches with people with dementia offer rich first-hand insights into its transformative potential. Throughout the book, the importance of spontaneity and of being with the person with dementia in the present moment is emphasised, and the reader is encouraged to develop a playful mindset. A selection of colour photographs amply demonstrate playful approaches in action. Offering a fresh and perhaps unexpected perspective, this book is essential reading for dementia care practitioners and managers, activity coordinators, therapists, people with dementia and their relatives, and anyone else concerned with the wellbeing of those with the condition.

This title offers a complete resource for life writing - one of the key genres studied within creative writing. "Writing Your Self" is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in exploring personal material in their writing. It examines how a wide range of successful writers approach personal material and the different modes and techniques they use. The first part of the book focuses on a wide range of universal experiences including childhood, identity, adult relationships and loss as well as more specific issues such as exile and displacement, physical and mental illness and abuse. Throughout the book, a wide range of writers discuss their own experiences and how they have tackled this material in their writing. Part Two offers a series of techniques and a wide range of practical exercises and examples. Part Three discusses the writing process, moving to finished pieces of work in different genres and the question of publication. Bringing together writers with a broad range of valuable experience, this is the definitive resource for exploring life writing and offers an exciting range of possibilities, examples and techniques for approaching personal material.

In this book John Killick introduces the reader to a key aspect of economic history: the impact of American economic intervention in Europe after World War II.
The effects of this impact are still open to debate. The Marshall Plan has traditionally been seen as a decisive turning-point in European economic and political history, but its effect is now being called into question.
Would Europe have revived spontaneously after 1945? Did American dollars "save the world" in 1947? Was American influence the underlying reason for the general drift away from socialism and the move towards European federalism in the late 1940s and early 1950s? If the Marshall Plan--in conjunction with NATO--created a coherent and prosperous western bloc, was this critical for the outcome of the Cold War? These are important questions, to which this careful analysis provides some new and accessible answers.

Poetry is an engaging and inclusive activity for older people that can help develop memory, imagination and identity. This book provides guidance on setting up and monitoring poetry projects for people living with dementia in group care homes and individual families. It explains the benefits of creative expression for people with dementia, and shows how to facilitate poetry reading and writing groups in different environments. Specific techniques for introducing poetry to older people can be employed by family members or professional care staff to enhance the wellbeing of the individual living with dementia. The ethical issues of running poetry projects in dementia care are explored along with examples of poetry produced by individuals and groups, interviews with care workers, and case studies.

Providing people with dementia with opportunities to engage in creative activity can play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing communication, and in reinforcing personhood and identity. This thoughtful book describes how people with dementia, and the people who work with and care for them, can foster and develop a creative approach, and provides rich and varied ideas for creative activities. The authors explore the concept of creativity - what exactly it is, its particular relevance for people with dementia and how to get into the creative 'flow'. They introduce a range of creative art forms, including poetry and story-telling, collage, drama, music-making, photography, textiles and working with wood and metal, and suggest possibilities for employing them in a range of settings, and with people of all abilities. Consideration is given to the practicalities of facilitating such creative work, including how to organise and run sessions, how to involve people with dementia and their carers, and how to reflect upon the experience. Practice examples are included throughout the book, as well as the comments and observations of people with dementia, and many examples of the artwork and poetry the authors have created with people with dementia over the years. Brimming with ideas, suggestions and helpful guidance, this is an essential resource for all those who work with people with dementia, and an inspiring read for people with dementia and their families.