Positive shifts in attitudes mean that emphasis is now being placed on the person with dementia and their personal relationships, rather than the illness. There is also growing recognition of the significance of a person's spiritual life in forming an essential basis for their sense of identity, and in providing them with a resource for coping. Offering an inter-disciplinary approach to spirituality and personhood in dementia care, the contributors to this book are leading practitioners and researchers in the field. They provide both a theoretical structure and a practical understanding of the essential role that spirituality can play in the affirmation of personhood and identity, and of ways in which the spiritual well-being of people with dementia can be nurtured. This thought-provoking book includes chapters approaching the subject from Christian and Buddhist perspectives, discussion of inter-faith relations, and of what spirituality might mean for those not part of any faith tradition. This will be valuable reading for nurses, care workers, care commissioners and pastoral support professionals interested in a more holistic and contemplative approach to caring for people with dementia.

In Knowing Me, Knowing God, Malcolm Goldsmith provides an easy-to-follow introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as it pertains to the spiritual life. The heart of this book is a spirituality questionnaire and its interpretation in connection to spirituality. The intent of the book is to explore ways in which persons might best open their hearts and minds to God.

Knowing Me, Knowing God is a valuable resource for retreat leaders, worship committee members, spiritual directors, prayer group members, and others who are looking for material that help them focus on the needs of their community.

The spirituality questionnaire is designed for personal completion as an integral part of the total book. It can, however, be used in small groups to stimulate discussion.

Written for all those concerned with providing services for people with dementia and their families, this book explores the idea that communication is not only possible but also vital to the understanding and the development of services. Based on a series of interviews with sufferers and professionals working in the field, on an extensive literature search, and on a consultative document which was sent out to over a thousand people, Hearing the Voice of People with Dementia discusses ten key points: * the possibility of communication; * the disempowering experience of dementia; * the different ways in which people are affected; * the need to respect peoples' sense of sense of time and place; * the importance of knowing a person's `life story'; * the effect of environmental and other factors on the process of communication; * the non-verbal ways in which people with dementia communicate; * the means of communicating through `challenging behaviour'; * possibilities of group work; * the value or harm of sharing a diagnosis. Practical advice and suggestions based on the research into these key areas are offered to help professionals gain a greater understanding of dementia and develop skills which aid communication.

This new edition of this fascinating and revealing book offers a beginner's guide to the 'Myers-Briggs Type Indicator', showing how your personality type and temperament affects all aspects of your life and relationships with others. The M.B.T.I. can help you discover why you think and behave in certain ways, and why other people respond to you as they do. It can help you identify your major strengths - what makes you do some things better than others - and it can help you make more of those aspects of your personality that may be lying dormant and under-developed. The M.B.T.I. can be helpful in improving all kinds of relationships - whether you're at home with your family, at work with your colleagues, or perhaps on a course studying for an exam. It can also be helpful in understanding the life of the Church; why people have different ways of responding to God, both emotionally and intellectually; why some are attracted to a particular kind of church; and why some prefer to pray in one way and not in others. In all these areas of life, the M.B.T.I. has proved itself an invaluable means of achieving a deeper self-understanding. It can also lead to a greater sense of self-worth and a richer and more realistic appreciation of other people. 'A delightful introduction to my mother's work'. Peter Briggs Myers.

This publication brings together plenary addresses and other papers originally present at the Second International Conference on Ageing, Spirituality and Well-Being. The contributions are compassionate, warm and humane. The book is often insightful, frequently surprising, and can, without hesitation, be recommended as an introductory text to undergraduate nurses who wish to pursue those themes so ably captured by the title.' - Nursing Philosophy 'This is a timely book, appearing when those in the medical profession are beginning to accept that the spiritual and religious needs of people, and in particular older people, are important subjects which deserve to be considered when assessing the quality of life of a patient.' - Signpost 'I enjoyed reading this book, with its rich explorations and insights into spirituality in later life... It brings together the views of some of the most well known academics, theologians and medical professionals working in this area... This book is beautifully edited, with an ample introduction, biographies of each of the presenters and enough reading references to fill at least a section of a library. Jewell says he hopes it will be a worthy contribution to the ongoing discussion of spirituality and well -being, and in this he undoubtedly succeeds. There are many snapshots of the life stories of older people scattered throughout the book. I will conclude with the comment of a woman with dementia to her occupational therapist after an art activity: "We have been on a wonderful journey, you and I. What fun we have had, laughing and singing. Holding a rainbow in our hands".' - Journal of Dementia Care 'It should be required reading for EVERY pastor, carer, visitor, family member'. -The Expository Times 'We are told that we live in a society where ageing is often viewed as an embarrassment, suffering and dying a meaningless experience and death a medical failure. The contributors, from medicine, theology and the social sciences, aim to give guidance on how the particular spiritual needs of the elderly can be defined and addressed; and how meaningful care and support can be given.' - The International Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research 'This timely book is an excellent, accessible introduction to the spiritual aspects of ageing and deserves to be widely read by anyone with a pastoral concern. It also offers useful practical insights into our own ageing and suggests ways in which we might approach it creatively and with confidence.' - Methodist Recorder 'This collection of essays on the spiritual well-being of older people has something to offer believers and non-believers alike... All the contributors ponder the application of spirituality, either as a part of formal religion or not, to the lives of older people, and conclude that this area of care is fundamental to positive living in the fourth age of life... the essays are a thought-provoking and insightful contribution to the4 provision of hostilic care in old age. - Community Care 'This is an interesting and worthwhile book. The writings come from people of disparate professions and experiences and from several continents. We all have a great deal to learn of and from each other's traditions. I hope it will be read and used widely by church groups as well as professionals "living off the geriatric burden''. There is wonderful material here to help us make something of our awareness that there is more to life than individual material well-being.' -Dementia Plus Website How can we promote the enduring well-being of those who are moving into the 'fourth' age of life? Ageing, Spirituality and Well-being explores how well-being is not about physical health alone; having purpose in life and continual spiritual growth are vital elements for older individuals. This book provides guidance on how the particular spiritual needs of this age group can be defined and addressed, and how meaningful care and support can be given. The contributors use their expertise in the fields of medicine, theology and the social sciences to explore ways of overcoming obstacles and finding a balance when dealing with the inner, and inextricably linked outer, lives of elders, including those with dementia or who have had strokes. A collection of diverse views, practical observations and sound advice, this is a thought-provoking resource for all those concerned with the physical, mental and pastoral well-being of older people.