Understanding Dementia: The Man With the Worried Eyes (ISBN 1853024791)

A Person-Centered Approach to Alzheimer's and Dementia:
In Understanding Dementia, Cheston and Bender provide a fascinating history of the Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. They make a convincing case that focusing on the neurological aspects of the disease both limits our understanding of the larger human picture and also breeds a sense of hopelessness and dependency among dementia sufferers. This history introduces the authors' main point: that psychological and social factors play a huge role in dementia. They vividly describe the experience of having dementia and point out ways in which informed psychological intervention can enhance quality of life. Cheston and Bender are part of a movement among clinicians and researchers in the British Isles called a "person-focused" approach to dementia. This movement argues that the concepts we use to explain dementia influence the way we interact with people with dementia, and that, in turn, the way people with dementia are treated has a major impact on the severity with which dementia symptoms are expressed. Their book is aimed at people who treat dementia and those who set health care policy, but it is vividly written, understandable to the general public, and free of technical jargon. As a clinician who both works with dementia sufferers and their families and also trains psychotherapists in dementia care, I have recommended Understanding Dementia to clients and students alike.