by Joan K. Glickstein, Ph.D.
This book is directed towards professionals working with dementia clients, particularly those who are working one-on-one with dementia clients and their caregivers. The overall goal is to provide health care professional with therapy material that can be used in the development of individualized programs suitable for use with this client population.
Full Description:
The overall goal of this manual is to provide professionals with therapeutic material that can be used in the development of individualized programs suitable for use with client population.
Part I is a general overview of aging and Alzheimer's disease. This section provides the reader with a working familiarity with current terminology, diagnostic determination and work-ups, management strategies, and theories of disease causation and progression. Part II is a workbook section that consists of specific lesson plans that can be adjusted to the client's changing functional level, and repeated as appropriate. This approach to therapy is unique in that the caregiver is used as an adjunct therapist to ensure the follow up of the lessons and to improve, by practice, the client's interactive communication skills. Another distinguished feature of this approach to therapy is the definition of caregivers. In all of the lessons, the caregiver is defined as any significant other having close contact with the individual with dementia who is willing to accept the role. No prior training or specific skills are needed. For the client who is institutionalized, an aide or nurse having frequent contact with the individual may be designed as the caregiver. Part III offers some practical suggestions that the health care professional will find useful. Those wishing to prepare their own therapy materials to use with dementia clients offers a "how-to" description. The lesson plans take advantage of the client's current abilities in order to prepare him or her for the losses that will occur as the disease progesses. Over the years, the author has identified a number of verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are here refined into a series of basic lessons aimed at establishing and maintaining functional skills necessary for daily activities. All extraneous stimuli have been eliminated from the lessons to allow the client maximum opportunity for success. Each task is outcome oriented. The goal of each lesson is to improve or maintain function.
255 pages; 8 1/2 X 11;hard bound
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