Hearing the Person with Dementia

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

Intended both for family and professional carers, this book clearly explains what happens to the part of the brain the controls communication as dementia progresses, how this may affect an individual's memory, language and senses, and how carers 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 no longer speak or move, and strategies for communicating more effectively in specific situations, including at mealtimes, whilst helping the person with dementia to 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.

About the Author

Bernie McCarthy is founder of McCarthy Psychology Services, and is a registered clinical psychologist with a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Melbourne University. He is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society and the College of Clinical Psychologists. He is an advanced trainer in Dementia Care Mapping and author. He publishes a blog regularly at www.mccarthypsychology.com.au. He is in demand as a highly skilled and popular trainer of aged care staff in person-centred approaches to dementia care. He applies modern evidence based psychological knowledge and skills with the person-centred value base to the aged care sector to improve the quality of home-based and residential care.