Person-Centered Memory and Communication Interventions for Dementia


Book Description

Person-Centered Memory and Communication Interventions for Dementia: A Case Study Approach is the third volume in the “Medical Speech-Language Pathology” book series. It is a practical, peer-reviewed resource for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with people with dementia. In this unique text, the authors cover a variety of evidence-based clinical procedures for the memory, communication, and behavioral challenges of people with dementia. The aim is to empower SLPs and other clinicians to implement practices that elevate the personhood of people living with various dementia syndromes. Throughout this clinician-friendly text, the authors cover three main areas of focus: elevating personhood, the “how tos” of clinical procedures, and the organizational-level barriers and facilitators to implementation. After an introductory chapter, the next eight chapters describe a detailed case study that explains specific person-centered assessment and treatment methods. The cases depict a diverse group of people providing insights into the range of concerns and joys involved in supporting memory and communication in a manner that is culturally responsive and equitable. Key Features: * The only dementia text that incorporates a culturally responsive approach to cases that reflect the increasing diversity of the aging population * Specific examples of the “how tos” of person-centered, evidence-based care * Detailed personal, assessment, and treatment histories for each case, with a table of goals and intervention procedures, as well as illustrations of memory and communication strategies * Each chapter starts with an “At-A-Glance” section to highlight the person and ends with a summary of key points of the treatment and implementation factors * Uses a highly readable writing style with boxes, tables, and figures to support the text




Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory


Book Description

As you age, you may find yourself worrying about your memory. Where did I put those car keys? What time was my appointment? What was her name again? With more than 41 million Americans over the age of 65 in the United States, the question becomes how much (or, perhaps, what type) of memory loss is to be expected as one gets older and what should trigger a visit to the doctor. Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory addresses these key concerns and more, such as... · What are the signs that suggest your memory problems are more than just part of normal aging? · Is it normal to have concerns about your memory? · What are the markers of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative diseases? · How should you convey your memory concerns to your doctor? · What can your doctor do to evaluate your memory? · Which healthcare professional(s) should you see? · What medicines, alternative therapies, diets, and exercises are available to improve your memory? · Can crossword puzzles, computer brain-training games, memory aids, and strategies help strengthen your memory? · What other resources are available when dealing with memory loss? Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory is written in an easy-to-read yet comprehensive style, featuring clinical vignettes and character-based stories that provide real-life examples of how to successfully manage age-related memory loss.




Music and Dementia


Book Description

Dementia is the most significant health issue facing our aging population. With no cure to date, there is an urgent need for the development of interventions that can alleviate symptoms of dementia and ensure optimal well-being for people with dementia and their caregivers. There is accumulating evidence that music is a highly effective, non-pharmacological treatment for various symptoms of dementia at all stages of disease progression. In its various forms, music (as a medium for formal therapy or an informal activity) engages widespread brain regions, and in doing so, can promote numerous benefits, including triggering memories, enhancing relationships, affirming a sense of self, facilitating communication, reducing agitation, and alleviating depression and anxiety. This book outlines the current research and understanding of the use of music for people with dementia, from internationally renowned experts in music therapy, music psychology, and clinical neuropsychology.







Augmentative Communication Strategies for Adults with Acute Or Chronic Medical Conditions


Book Description

This practical guidebook and CD?ROM set gathers in one place everything professionals need to support and improve communication for adults with specific medical conditions. Includes expert guidance on providing effective AAC services for people with a ran




Assistive Technology for Cognition


Book Description

Assistive technology for cognition is technology which can be used to enable, enhance, or extend cognitive function. This book systematically examines how cutting-edge digital technologies can assist the cognitive function of people with cognitive impairments, with the potential to revolutionize rehabilitation. Technologies are reviewed which direct attention, remind, recognize, prompt, and generally guide people through activities of daily living. Written by experts in neuropsychology and technology development, Assistive Technology for Cognition provides a comprehensive overview of the efficacy of technologies to assist people with brain impairments. Based on the list provided by the International Classification of Function, each chapter covers a different cognitive function; namely, attention, memory, affect, perception, executive function, language, numeracy, sequencing, and navigation onto which existing and future assistive technologies for cognition are mapped. This structure provides in-depth research in an accessible way, and will allow practitioners to move from an assessment of cognitive deficits to the prescription of an appropriate assistive technology for cognition. The chapters also make suggestions for future developments. Assistive Technology for Cognition will be of great interest to clinicians and researchers working in brain injury rehabilitation, technology developers, and also to students in clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and allied health disciplines.




Technology for Adaptive Aging


Book Description

Emerging and currently available technologies offer great promise for helping older adults, even those without serious disabilities, to live healthy, comfortable, and productive lives. What technologies offer the most potential benefit? What challenges must be overcome, what problems must be solved, for this promise to be fulfilled? How can federal agencies like the National Institute on Aging best use their resources to support the translation from laboratory findings to useful, marketable products and services? Technology for Adaptive Aging is the product of a workshop that brought together distinguished experts in aging research and in technology to discuss applications of technology to communication, education and learning, employment, health, living environments, and transportation for older adults. It includes all of the workshop papers and the report of the committee that organized the workshop. The committee report synthesizes and evaluates the points made in the workshop papers and recommends priorities for federal support of translational research in technology for older adults.




Dementia Reimagined


Book Description

Now in paperback, the cultural and medical history of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by a leading psychiatrist and bioethicist who urges us to turn our focus from cure to care. Despite being a physician and a bioethicist, Tia Powell wasn't prepared to address the challenges she faced when her grandmother, and then her mother, were diagnosed with dementia--not to mention confronting the hard truth that her own odds aren't great. In the U.S., 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day; by the time a person reaches 85, their chances of having dementia approach 50 percent. And the truth is, there is no cure, and none coming soon, despite the perpetual promises by pharmaceutical companies that they are just one more expensive study away from a pill. Dr. Powell's goal is to move the conversation away from an exclusive focus on cure to a genuine appreciation of care--what we can do for those who have dementia, and how to keep life meaningful and even joyful. Reimagining Dementia is a moving combination of medicine and memoir, peeling back the untold history of dementia, from the story of Solomon Fuller, a black doctor whose research at the turn of the twentieth century anticipated important aspects of what we know about dementia today, to what has been gained and lost with the recent bonanza of funding for Alzheimer's at the expense of other forms of the disease. In demystifying dementia, Dr. Powell helps us understand it with clearer eyes, from the point of view of both physician and caregiver. Ultimately, she wants us all to know that dementia is not only about loss--it's also about the preservation of dignity and hope.