Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 18(7-8), 2019, pp.2596-2608.
Publisher:
Sage
Background: It is unclear how attitudes towards people with dementia are formed and whether, for instance, increased contact with people with dementia, either through work or personal experience alters attitudes. This study used a validated questionnaire (the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire) to examine whether having experience of dementia (either as a result of work, or by being affected...
(Edited publisher abstract)
Background: It is unclear how attitudes towards people with dementia are formed and whether, for instance, increased contact with people with dementia, either through work or personal experience alters attitudes. This study used a validated questionnaire (the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire) to examine whether having experience of dementia (either as a result of work, or by being affected by dementia) is associated with differences in attitudes towards dementia. Methods: A modified version of the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire was completed by 2201 participants, either online or in written form. Participants also recorded their age, gender and ethnicity as well as whether they worked with people with dementia or had been personally affected by dementia. Results: Increased contact with people with dementia was associated with increases in both total Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire scores and across both sub-scales reflecting more positive person-centred attitudes toward dementia. The highest levels of increase were found amongst non-white participants. Conclusions: This study is the first attempt to look systematically at whether greater contact with people with dementia is associated with changes in attitudes. The results strongly support the contention that increased contact with people with dementia leads to more person-centred attitudes, and by inference, less stigmatising views.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
surveys, stereotyped attitudes, dementia, attitudes, Alzheimers disease, community care, stigma, behaviour change, contact;
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 32(1), 2017, pp.3-31.
Publisher:
Wiley
Objectives: This paper reviews the existing evidence base for individual and group psychotherapy with people affected by dementia.
Design: The protocol was registered. Searches were conducted on electronic databases, relevant websites and reference lists for records of psychotherapy with people affected by Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy-body dementia or a mixed condition between...
(Edited publisher abstract)
Objectives: This paper reviews the existing evidence base for individual and group psychotherapy with people affected by dementia.
Design: The protocol was registered. Searches were conducted on electronic databases, relevant websites and reference lists for records of psychotherapy with people affected by Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy-body dementia or a mixed condition between 1997 and 2015. Studies of therapies which met British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy definitions (e.g. occurs regularly, focuses on talking about life events and facilitates understand of the illness) were included. Art therapy, Cognitive Stimulation and Rehabilitation, Life Review, Reminiscence Therapy and family therapy were excluded. Studies which included people with frontal–temporal dementia and mild cognitive impairment were excluded. Data was extracted using a bespoke form, and risk of bias assessments were carried out independently by both authors. Meta-analysis was not possible because of the heterogeneity of data.
Results: A total of 1397 papers were screened with 26 papers using randomised, non-randomised controlled trials or repeated measured designs being included. A broad mix of therapeutic modalities, types, lengths and settings were described, focusing largely on people with mild levels of cognitive impairment living in the community.
Conclusions: This study was limited to only those studies published in English. The strongest evidence supported the use of short-term group therapy after diagnosis and an intensive, multi-faceted intervention for Nursing Home residents. Many areas of psychotherapy need further research.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 15(6), 2016, pp.1515-1533.
Publisher:
Sage
This qualitative study aimed to see whether the Markers of Assimilation of Problematic Experiences in Dementia (MAPED) scale could be applied to couples. It aimed to explore the interactions between couples and how this affected the levels of assimilation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four heterosexual couples. The results suggested that MAPED can be usefully applied to couples...
(Publisher abstract)
This qualitative study aimed to see whether the Markers of Assimilation of Problematic Experiences in Dementia (MAPED) scale could be applied to couples. It aimed to explore the interactions between couples and how this affected the levels of assimilation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four heterosexual couples. The results suggested that MAPED can be usefully applied to couples. It highlighted the oscillating process which couples undergo as they process a dementia diagnosis. This supports the notion that making sense of a dementia diagnosis is not static, but a fluctuating and ever changing process. The strategies couples employed either facilitated or prevented the expression and integration of the Problematic Voice. The study highlights the importance of supporting couples together during a dementia diagnosis.
(Publisher abstract)
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 15(2), 2016, pp.273-278.
Publisher:
Sage
This paper describes the use of the “Living Well with Dementia” or LivDem model of group support for people affected by dementia within a Primary Care setting. Five people affected by dementia and their carers joined a 10-week group, although one man withdrew before the start due to illness. Joint sessions were held on the first and the final meetings, with separate parallel group sessions...
(Publisher abstract)
This paper describes the use of the “Living Well with Dementia” or LivDem model of group support for people affected by dementia within a Primary Care setting. Five people affected by dementia and their carers joined a 10-week group, although one man withdrew before the start due to illness. Joint sessions were held on the first and the final meetings, with separate parallel group sessions for people affected by dementia and their carers for the remaining eight sessions. One person affected by dementia and their carer withdrew due to illness before the end of the sessions. A self-report measure of Quality of Life suggested improvements for two of the three people affected by dementia who completed all of the sessions. The proxy ratings of carers indicated improvements for all three participants. Qualitative interviews were carried out with participants and carers to assess their experience of the group. Although both people affected by dementia and their carers found the LivDem intervention helpful, concerns remain about the continued need for support by a Dementia specialist.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
models, dementia, quality of life, primary care, health care, support groups, patients, carers, intervention;
Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 15(2), 2016, pp.181-203.
Publisher:
Sage
This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore how six people talked about their difficulties before and after a dementia diagnosis. Participants’ accounts of their memory problems were analysed in terms of the verbal Markers of Assimilation of Problematic Voices Scale. This analysis indicated that after diagnosis some participants were able to integrate aspects...
(Publisher abstract)
This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore how six people talked about their difficulties before and after a dementia diagnosis. Participants’ accounts of their memory problems were analysed in terms of the verbal Markers of Assimilation of Problematic Voices Scale. This analysis indicated that after diagnosis some participants were able to integrate aspects of their illness that had previously been too painful, and which had been warded off. The process by which individuals were able to integrate a dementia diagnosis into their sense of self-involved stepping in and out of awareness, with both acceptance and denial featuring in their accounts as they approached and then retreated from addressing the diagnosis. In contrast, other participants resisted moving towards explicitly acknowledging their dementia but were instead able to express concerns about what this movement would entail, for instance voicing their fears that it would mean that they had surrendered. Social support seems to have been crucial in enabling participants to sustain a positive sense of self in the face of this adjustment.
(Publisher abstract)
Aging and Mental Health, 13(3), May 2009, pp.420-425.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
The importance of providing emotional support to people newly diagnosed as having dementia is now widely recognised. However, the evidence base for this work is limited, so that it is difficult to draw conclusions either about whether this form of work is effective or which form of intervention might be most suitable for people with dementia. This study compared the effectiveness of exploratory...
The importance of providing emotional support to people newly diagnosed as having dementia is now widely recognised. However, the evidence base for this work is limited, so that it is difficult to draw conclusions either about whether this form of work is effective or which form of intervention might be most suitable for people with dementia. This study compared the effectiveness of exploratory psychotherapy and psycho-educational group interventions for new group members. Participants had received a diagnosis of Dementia of the Alzheimer's type or a similar form of dementia and had a mild level of cognitive impairment. Interventions occurred in ten, weekly sessions with participants attending either a psychotherapy or a psycho-educational group, each of which were facilitated by the same team of clinicians, and had the same amount of therapist contact. Data relating to levels of mood was collected at the start and at the end of the group intervention from eight participants in each arm of the study. Data collection occurred independently from the intervention by a researcher who was blind to the form of intervention. There was a significant interaction between mode of therapy and levels of depression and a borderline significant interaction between therapy type and levels of anxiety. However, once the low affect level of participants in the psycho-educational groups was controlled for, differences between the interventions were non-significant. Although the results that can be drawn from this study are limited, nevertheless it supports previous research indicating that a 10-week group psychotherapy intervention can be effective in reducing levels of depression for people with a mild level of dementia.
Subject terms:
intervention, psychotherapy, Alzheimers disease, anxiety, dementia, depression, group therapy;
Takes a person centred approach to people with dementia, focusing on the importance of their experience and emotions. Brings together ideas on dementia from social and clinical psychology; psychotherapy and linguistics, outlining the key theoretical issues and practical concerns. Looks at the value of non traditional treatments and care. Outlines the limitations of the medical model...
Takes a person centred approach to people with dementia, focusing on the importance of their experience and emotions. Brings together ideas on dementia from social and clinical psychology; psychotherapy and linguistics, outlining the key theoretical issues and practical concerns. Looks at the value of non traditional treatments and care. Outlines the limitations of the medical model and highlights the potential benefits of psychotherapy for people with dementia. Provides a holistic model of dementia with the aim of enabling professionals, policy makers, students and academics to form a deeper understanding of the problem, and so to improve the quality of care for dementia sufferers.
Subject terms:
holistic care, medical model, older people, psychology, psychotherapy, service users, students, assessment, dementia, emotions;
Journal of Dementia Care, 7(2), March 1999, pp.28-31.
Publisher:
Hawker
Reports on a case study from a pilot project which hopes to reduce the attachment anxiety of patients with dementia on an assessment ward through use of memories tapes recorded by each person's own spouse.
Reports on a case study from a pilot project which hopes to reduce the attachment anxiety of patients with dementia on an assessment ward through use of memories tapes recorded by each person's own spouse.