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If you can't get to the excellent carer training courses run by the charity SPECAL, then this book is the next best thing.

Even as the condition is deteriorating I keep using the methods to help me tune into my mother's finest times and qualities. They do work and I feel better for the connection.

It depends on the individual's life history but the basic idea is to give the person reassuring cues and see life from their perspective. It is goes beyond simple distraction but more about giving a sense of self worth.

I wish the care industry would use some of this training and hope there will be more research.

I am a Manager for a domicillary care agency in Thurrock we have a lot of Service Users in the community with dementia, whom i feel would benefit from care staff having the insight from this book, which in turn would benefit the Service Users as in "Contented Dementia".

Well what can I say I couldn't put this book down, what a book.......very informative, educational, what a learning process.The "who you are about to meet" letter what an insight: I am thinking of putting one of these (with Service Users consent) in their homes.
The Photograph Album was the best way to describe someone one with dementia, what an insight, very thoughtful and kind, all staff will relate to this i am sure. We can also use this in inducting new staff to the care profession, as with the stories. Understanding the reason for a person's behaviour may not enable us to change it, but it might enable staff to cope in any given situation more appropriately. Staff who understand a person's behaviour and communicate with them more effectively can reduce their frustration, contributing to a more positive experience for all,it certainly opened my eyes. I am sure there is plenty more we can use and I am reading the next part this weekend.



Thankyou very much for this;

Regards Pauline Steel TLC Care Services in Thurrock

On reading this book both my sister and I experienced a sense of calm. Someone finally understood our experience and offered a positive solution, not in the sense of a cure but in that we could alter our behaviour and reactions in a way that would positively assist our mother and ultimately ourselves. It is hard to love repetition and to desist interrupting, correcting and prompting memory recall. Harder still not to ask questions; how are you, what would you like, have you eaten etc.... and to pass this new found knowledge to mum's carers (all of whom have been totally open minded and brilliant). Standard responses may seem patronising to some but totally reassure our Mum. The hard part was establishing these "safe" responses but luckily this book led us to the delightful Penny Garner and her Burford Centre of Excellence where we attended her "photo album" workshop and learnt how to put our egos on the back burner and these principals into practise. It's early days but "Specal Sense" makes "perfect sense" to us.

I saw an article on this book and sent it to a relative who went out and bought the book--his view is that it has made his life so much easier and the person he is caring for is so much happier and less stressed. He brought it to me when I was doing some respite care for him, and I found it enormously useful. Although some of what it recommends is what I was doing from trial and error, and although it cannot halt deterioration(and clearly states this), the practical tips make caring for a sufferer so much easier. Previously I found it a bit stressful to provide the respite care-- this time, with a new perspective and structure, I actually enjoyed the experience and found a new & closer relationship with the person who had dementia. We both had a good time thanks to the book.

The claims made for this book are far too wide and the best bits of the approach are not new. For instance it is now widely known that you should not argue with someone with dementia who has become lost in time and space, but "go with the flow". (Reorientation only works in the early stages, and with great respect and tact). This approach will not work in later stages, as seen in the documentary Malcolm and Barbara. This approach will not prevent people who survive eventually having severe brain damage with little ability to respond. By all means let's throw away the stressful attempts to drag someone into our world. And let's know the person well so that we can communicate for as long as possible. But I am sad that the expectations aroused by this book are liable to disappointment. Of course people bying this book are probably desperate for something that they think is going to be a magic wand. I wish it were true. I have personal experience of looking after people with dementia. There is a positive side to care, but this book is not enough: you can't just impose a solution.