Clinicians, managers and researchers - as well as politicians and religious leaders - are worrying about a lack of compassion and humanity in the care of vulnerable people in society. In this book The author explores the dynamics of care. He argues that we know how to do it, but somehow we seem to keep getting it wrong. Poor care in hospitals and c

How does it feel when someone you love develops dementia? How do you cope with the shock, the stress and the grief? Can you be sure that you and your family will receive the support you need? In Telling Tales About Dementia, thirty carers from different backgrounds and in different circumstances share their experiences of caring for a parent, partner or friend with dementia. They speak from the heart about love and loss: 'I still find it hard to believe that Alzheimer's has happened to us,' writes one contributor, 'as if we were sent the wrong script.' The stories told here vividly reflect the tragedy of dementia, the gravity of loss, and instances of unsatisfactory diagnosis, treatment and care. But they contain hope and optimism too: clear indications that the quality of people's lives can be enhanced by sensitive support services, by improved understanding of the impact of dementia, by recognising the importance of valuing us all as human beings, and by embracing and sustaining the connections between us. This unique collection of personal accounts will be an engaging read for anyone affected by dementia in a personal or professional context, including relatives of people with dementia, social workers, medical practitioners and care staff.

Clinicians, managers and researchers--as well as politicians and religious leaders--are worrying about a lack of compassion and humanity in the care of vulnerable people in society.In this book Tim Dartington explores the dynamics of care. He argues that we know how to do it, but somehow we seem to keep getting it wrong. Poor care in hospitals and care homes is well documented, and yet it continues. Care for people in their own homes is seen as an ideal, but the reality can be cruel and isolating. Tim describes research over forty years in thinking why institutional and community care are both subject to processes of denial and fear of dependency.His examples include children in hospital, people with disabilities living in the community, and the care of older people and those with dementia. He asks why there has been such a split between health and social care and what underlying purpose this split may have in a societal response to vulnerability and long-term dependency. He also explores the implications of such dynamics of care in a vivid case study, drawn from his own experience, of the care as it developed over six years around a vulnerable person living and dying at home.