Working from the premise that the lives of people with learning disabilities are of innate value, and that exploring and celebrating people's experiences demonstrates their value in a practical way, this book provides a manual on working with memories in groups and individually. It includes: a clear rationale for and guidance on the benefits of this approach; good practice guidelines for memory work; a chapter on life story work with individuals; a section on working with those with learning disabilities and dementia; ideas for dozens of activities on 15 themes associated with memories of the past, including - the childhood years; food, cooking and shopping; days out and holidays; fashions, clothing and looking good; and, hobbies, interests and work experience.

This book is invaluable to nurses and all health and social care practitioners working with people living with dementia in a variety of contexts. It presents a series of true-to-life case studies tackling the ethical and practical dilemmas of dementia care and how to use theoretical approaches to come to potential solutions. The reader is encouraged to explore evidence-based approaches to practice, based on the professional reasoning and experience of the practitioner and the emotional psychological and practical needs of the person living with dementia. Key themes running through case studies include: effective communication, person-centred practice, social citizenship, strengths-based approaches and relationship-focused support, as well as organisational culture. Each case study provides readers with opportunities to experience and discuss clinical dilemmas in a safe space with an annotated thinking-aloud framework that allows them to unpack the elements of each situation so as to develop a range of solution-focused perspectives in order to overcome barriers and deliver best practice.