Hearing the Person with Dementia: Person-Centred Approaches to Communication for Families and Caregivers

by Bernie McCarthy

Overview

Losing the ability to communicate can be a frustrating and difficult experience for people with dementia, their families and carers. As the disease progresses, the person with dementia may find it increasingly difficult to express themselves clearly, and to understand what others say.

Written with both family and professional carers in mind, this book clearly explains what happens to communication as dementia progresses, how this may affect an individual's memory, language and senses, and how carers might need to adapt their approach as a result. Advocating a person-centred approach to dementia care, the author describes methods of verbal and non-verbal communication, techniques for communicating with people who can not speak or move easily, and strategies for communicating more effectively in specific day-to-day situations, including at mealtimes, whilst helping the person with dementia to bathe or dress, and whilst out and about. Exercises at the end of each chapter encourage the carer to reflect on their learning and apply it to their own circumstances, and guidelines for creating a life story with the person with dementia as a means of promoting good communication are also included.

This concise, practical book is essential reading for family caregivers, professional care staff, and all those who work with, or who are training to work with, people with dementia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849051866
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	01/15/2011
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Bernie McCarthy is the founder of McCarthy Psychology Services, and is a registered clinical psychologist with a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Melbourne University. He is also a Member of the Australian Psychological Society and the College of Clinical Psychologists. Bernie is a trainer in Dementia Care Mapping and conducts staff training in dementia care and other aspects of psychological wellbeing and culture change in health and aged care throughout Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

Chapter 1 Communication 11

Sometimes it's a struggle 11

Dementia and the brain 12

The brain in daily functioning 20

Exercise 1.1 Brain functions in everyday life 26

Chaptes 2 Hearing the Person - VIPS 27

VIPS: Value 28

Exercise 2.1 VIPS - Value: personhood, well-being and ill-being 35

VIPS: Individual 36

Exercise 2.2 VIPS - Individual 48

VIPS: Perspective 48

Exercise 2.3 VIPS - Perspective 54

VIPS: Social 54

Exercise 2.4 VIPS - Social 58

Chapter 3 How Do We Actually Communicate? 59

Empathy, imagination and defensiveness 59

Exercise 3.1 Communicating verbally 71

Exercise 3.2 Communicating nonverbally 78

Chapter 4 Relating to People without Speech or Mobility 79

Managing your own needs 83

Exercise 4.1 Relating to people without words or mobility 84

Chapter 5 Specific Situations 85

In the shower 85

At mealtimes 88

Dressing 91

Going to the toilet 92

Going out 93

Getting bored 94

Making mistakes 95

Exercise 5.1 Specific situations 96

Chapter 6 Caring for Yourself 97

When you have reached your limit 97

Staying away from your limit 98

Daily routine with space for your needs 100

Carers get depressed sometimes 100

What resources do you have? 101

Exercise 6.1 Caring for yourself 102

Conclusion 104

Appendix 105

Signs of well-being 105

Signs of ill-being 106

References 108

Index 109

Editorial Reviews

This little book is about communication. It is suitable for staff at all levels, providing sensible guidance for communicating well in the ordinary situations of daily living: showering, mealtimes, dressing, going to the toilet, going out, getting bored and making mistakes.

Caring Times

Every caregiver for someone aged or living with any form of dementia would benefit from reading McCarthy's book for its practical wisdom. I would also strongly recommend this book as a reference for students in allied health, aged and dementia care training programs. I imagine seeing this book sitting comfortably on a home, study or office coffee table - somewhere is easy reach!

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

Imagination and empathy are commended by McCarthy as key to providing care. He rightly stresses that listening carefully to what we hear is an essential element in communication. We all live in hope that others may listen to what we mean rather than hearing only what we say.

plus (Quarterly Magazine of Christian Council on Ageing)

This paperback is a further valuable addition to an ever-increasing market of information providing publications, and as such it is an interesting and informative read.

Signpost

The fact that exercises and questions are incorporated into each chapter helps to promote the readers' understanding of the material presented by allowing them to reflect on their prior learning and apply this to real-life situations... It is(...) a useful and accessible resource for anyone who work with people with dementia as well as for family caregivers and students.

Community Care

McCarthy writes in a warm personal style with a minimum of technical language even when outlining ways in which different areas of the human brain functions in everyday life. Each chapter includes an example of a real life situation someone with dementia might find themselves in and concludes with some questions for the reader to test their grasp of its contents. It is good to see that the final chapter is on the topic of caring for yourself... Imagination and empathy are commended by McCarthy as key to providing care. He rightly stresses that listening carefully to what we hear is an essential element in communication. We all live in hope that others may listen to what we mean rather than hearing only what we say.

Christian Council on Ageing

This book covers many important areas and succeeds in rendering care of the person with dementia in accessible language. The book is not just readable, but usable, so deserves to be readily applied in day to day care.

metapsychology online reviews

This practical book to assist people caring for those with dementia. It covers the brain and its effect on language and behaviour in people with dementia. It talks about person-centred care and the need to be flexible to individual needs rather than apply a "one size fits all" approach... easy to read and practical... I would definitely recommend this book to anyone working in the field of dementia, whether in a paid capacity or as a friend or family member.

Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work - Caz Thomsen

Bernie McCarthy is a Clinical Psychologist who works in dementia care in Australia. He has been greatly influenced by Dawn Brooker (now of Worchester), Tom Kitwood and the Bradford Dementia Group. He uses their work and publications to inform his own practices in care and teaching. It is from these that he has put together this modest, readable text which contains many acknowledgements to these original thinkers and sources.

Dementia UK

This extremely practical book helps people involved in the care of people with dementia who are encouraged to think less about inspection procedures, commissioning and health and safety and to focus on identifying how we fee about the people we care about we are encouraged to get in touch with the emotional needs of people living with dementia. This is no sentimental thesis, but an excellent guide for families and professional caregivers to understand the communication problems which can affect someone with advance dementia. Lots of practical suggestions are included as well as the vital advice on caring for oneself.

The International Journal of Person Centered Medicine