Main description:

This guide to Adaptive Interaction explains how to assess the communication repertoires of people with dementia who can no longer speak, and offers practical interventions for those who wish to interact with them.

Outlining the challenges faced by people living with advanced dementia, this book shows how to relieve the strain on relationships between them, their families, and professional caregivers through better, person-centred communication. It includes communication assessment tools and guidance on how to build on the communication repertoire of the individual with dementia using nonverbal means including imitation, facial expressions, sounds, movement, eye gaze and touch. With accessible evidence and case studies based on the authors' research, Adaptive Interaction can be used as the basis for developing interactions without words with people living with dementia.

Contents:

Dedication. Acknowledgements. Preface. 1. Both Sides Now - Advanced Dementia From the Inside Out. 2. We've Only Just Begun - Learning the Language of Dementia. 2.1. The Impact of Dementia on Relationships. 2.2. Changes in Behaviour. 2.3. Malignant Social Psychology. 2.4. Improving Communication. 2.5. Nonverbal Communication. 2.6. Chapter Summary. 3. I Hear You Now - Collaborative Communication. 3.1. Human Communication. 3.2. Models of Communication. 3.3. Individuals with Additional Communication Needs. 3.4. Intensive Interaction. 3.5. Adaptive Interaction. 3.6. Summary. 4. Let's Work Together - Learning the Language of Dementia. 4.1. Step 1: Getting to Know You. 4.2. Step 2: Communication Environment. 4.3. Step 3: Identifying the Communicative Repertoire. 4.4. Step 4: Creating a Connection. 4.5. Step 5: Building the Connection. 4.6. Summary. 5. A Beautiful Noise: Chrissie's Story. 6. I'm Looking Through You: Eleanor's Story. 7. The Sound of Silence: Bert's Story. Epilogue. Appendix - Adaption Interaction Process Charts. References. Index.