Contented Dementia [Hardcover]

Oliver James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2008

Dementia is a little understood and currently incurable illness, but much can be done to maximise the quality of life for people with the condition. "Contented Dementia" - by clinical psychologist and bestselling author Oliver James - outlines a groundbreaking and practical method for managing dementia that will allow both sufferer and carer to maintain the highest possible quality of life, throughout every stage of the illness. A person with dementia will experience random and increasingly frequent memory blanks relating to recent events. Feelings, however, remain intact, as do memories of past events and both can be used in a special way to substitute for more recent information that has been lost.The SPECAL method (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer's) outlined in this book works by creating links between past memories and the routine activities of daily life in the present. Drawing on real-life examples and user-friendly tried-and-tested methods, "Contented Dementia" provides essential information and guidance for carers, relatives and professionals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An indispensable handbook for anyone coping with the effects of dementia and who wants to keep a sufferer as happy as is humanly possible."  —Daily Express

"A revolutionary new way of treating dementia brings amazing benefits for patients and carers alike."  —Guardian

"Shows how to minimze that distress and manage the dementia in ways that recall early pioneering work on dealing with madness . . . He writes clearly and plainly, gives good examples of the techniques he suggests, and stays always on the practical side. I expected this book to be depressing; it is exactly the opposite."  —Independent

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Oliver James trained and practised as a clinical child psychologist and, since 1988, has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. He is a trustee of the Alzheimer's charity, SPECAL (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer's) and lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two small children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Vermilion (August 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0091901804
• ISBN-13: 978-0091901806
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Way Through Alzeimer's for Family and Professional Caregivers, February 16, 2010

By 

Ms. J. A. Dyson "Jules" (Oxford UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Contented Dementia (Hardcover)

`Contented Dementia'. Never have two words been more important in our lives: just as my sister and I were getting desperate last summer (2009) about the relentless debilitating march of our mother's Alzeimer's, we heard of `Contented Dementia' by Oliver James. This book is the distillation of twenty years' work of a remarkable woman, Penny Garner, and all her experience of close, personal hands-on caring: first for her mother who fell victim to Alzeimer's, then for countless other Alzeimer's sufferers whom she has helped achieve contentment despite their deteriorating condition. Penny's no mind-altering-drugs method is deeply person-centered, and involves not questioning the person; letting them be the `expert' on their situation; and not contradicting them. The whole system is known as the SPECAL (Specialized Early Care for Altzeimer's) Method - pronounced `speckle' - , and is influenced by the monitoring tool Dementia Care Mapping developed by Tom Kitwood, professor of Psychogerontology at Bradford University in the 1990s. It's logical, workable and practical: an A-Z of "wraparound care" that both family carers and professionals can easily use.

Our mother Eileen was `disappearing' away from us with her Alzeimer's, and this amazingly helpful book has brought our mother `back' to us. We've rediscovered the real Eileen that her illness had started obscuring. With SPECAL care, our mum can be happy, contented, and very good company again - not the lonely frightened isolated paranoid old lady she had started to become.

This book showed us that our mother simply could no longer store new information efficiently. This was our key to unlock our mother from her growing isolation, from her frustrations, from her fears and her resultant panics and paranoia. She can happily talk about the past, but not what has just happened moments before. We have had to learn a new skill - `Making a Present of the Past'®, as SPECAL puts it.

This advice instantly changed how we related to our mother and she to us. Suddenly the arguments and rows stopped, and the despair faded as we zoned into her version of the world, a world with no stored memories of recent facts.

It is no exaggeration to say all our lives have been totally changed by `Contented Dementia' - and also by the wonderful email and phone help-lines.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly: a life-saver for dementia sufferers and carers alike. A huge thanks to Oliver James for setting down all Penny's fantastic wisdom and experience. With dementia becoming such a massive social issue, the sooner more people are aware of the SPECAL way of caring the better.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contented Dementia, August 6, 2010

By 

Chris Gillie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Contented Dementia (Paperback)

I have been struggling to look after my wife, who has dementia, and find this very helpful. It encourages me to "go with the flow", rather than fight to maintain faculties that have gone for ever. I have bought copies for my children and step-children, so that we all sing from the same hymn sheet.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contented Dementia, August 30, 2010

By 

Nan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Contented Dementia (Paperback)

Bought Contented Dementia for a friend who may need it for a spouse. Read some of it and was impressed with the common sense way the author suggests one deal with a dementia patient. Think it will be helpful for the friend and the children of the patient. It is only available from Amazon as it is a British book and not printed in the USA.