A Loving Approach to Dementia Care: Making Meaningful Connections while Caregiving (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

Book Synopsis: An encouraging and compassionate guide for dementia caregivers. Caring for someone with dementia means devotedly and patiently doing a hundred little things each day. But few care providers are trained to meet the challenges of dementia—despite the fact that millions of people will struggle with it as they grow older. In A Loving Approach to Dementia Care, Laura Wayman, who is known professionally as the Dementia Whisperer, offers practical, compassionate advice on overcoming caregiving obstacles and maintaining meaningful relationships with loved ones who have dementia and memory loss. In this thoroughly revised third edition, Wayman includes

• answers to common caregiver questions, such as "What is dementia?"
• a detailed explanation of how to cope with and care for a spouse with dementia symptoms, including advice about communication
• a new chapter on caring for someone who has dementia along with other health problems
• recommendations about how to handle challenging situations and behaviors
• dementia-aware activities that work for both family caregivers and professional care staff
• fresh caregiving insights that emphasize the importance of taking time to care for oneself

Each chapter contains two sections—"Lessons Learned" and "Perceptions and Approaches"—which provide details about how readers can apply lessons from the stories Wayman tells to their own caregiving practice. Providing support for the numerous difficulties and disruptions that all caregivers face along the way, A Loving Approach to Dementia Care is an empathetic guide filled with respect, calm, and creativity. It will leave readers feeling empowered and inspired.