Product Description

This book offers an accessible and sympathetic introduction for relatives, carers and professionals looking after or training to work with people with dementia. Drawing on the two 'laws of dementia', the author explains the causes of communication problems, mood disturbances and 'deviant' behaviours, with particular emphasis on how these are experienced by dementia sufferers themselves. Case examples demonstrate the typical symptoms and progression of dementia, and clear guidance is provided on how to support dementia sufferers at every stage and help them deal with the challenges posed by their condition. Relatives and carers will find this book a source of essential information and encouragement to deal confidently with the difficulties posed by the condition both for people with dementia and those around them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58304 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

About the Author
Huub Buijssen is a psychogerontologist and clinical psychologist and has written many successful books on the subject of dementia. He regularly lectures to relatives and carers of dementia sufferers. He lives in Tilburg, Netherlands.

Customer Reviews

A gem of a book
This is a short, elegant, clear book which is a very good starting point for anyone whose friend or relative is diagnosed with dementia. The author has a wealth of experience with dementia patients and their carers, and immense compassion, and it shows. He gently and simply explains what happens as dementia progresses, and makes sense of behaviour which carers can find incomprehensible. He offers valuable pointers on how to cope with dementia, always focusing on the humanity of the patient, and the importance of their feelings, eg by using touch, tone. A very valuable book.

The Simplicity of Dementia
A good straight-forward explanation of the condition from the preliminary phase to the need for supervision phase and need for nursing phase.

I found the section on communicating with an Alzheimer sufferer very useful. I was using some of these communication strategies with my mother but not all and the book helped me understand why I should be using them.

The concept of the short-term memory being a 30 second track after which the sufferer literally loses track also helped me to understand the endless repetition.

This book will ring true for anyone who has a relative or friend suffering from the disease.