Better Living With Dementia

Better Living With Dementia: Implications for Individuals, Families, Communities, and Societies highlights evidence-based best practices for improving the lives of patients with dementia. It presents the local and global challenges of these patients, also coupling foundational knowledge with specific strategies to overcome these challenges. The book examines the trajectory of the disease, offers stage-appropriate practices and strategies to improve quality of life, provides theoretical and practical frameworks that inform on ways to support and care for individuals living with dementia, includes evidence-based recommendations for research, and details global examples of care approaches that work. - Weaves research evidence and theories with practical know-how - Identifies support strategies for home, community, and health care settings - Provides stage-appropriate strategies relative to dementia severity - Summarizes dementia pathology, diagnosis, and progression - Considers the changing needs of both the individual with dementia and family and formal caregivers - Offers evidence-informed recommendations for research, practice, policy, and how to make things better at home, in the community, in healthcare and service settings, and through national policies - Provides local and global exemplars of what works - Provides case vignettes to illustrate key points with real examples - Contains brief conversations with national and international experts

Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, an applied research sociologist, is the dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University. Gitlin is nationally and internationally recognized for her research on developing, evaluating and implementing novel home and community-based interventions. She is involved in translating, disseminating and implementing proven programs for delivery in diverse practice settings globally. Gitlin is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2011 John Mackey Award for Excellence in Dementia Care, from Johns Hopkins University, the 2014 M. Powell Lawton Award from the Gerontological Society of America, and in 2015 she was named as an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She is the author of close to 300 scientific publications including seven books. She recently co-chaired the first National Research Summit on Care and Services for Persons Living with Dementia and their Caregivers. She is also a recent appointee to the medical advisory board, Alzheimer's Association and member of the international Lancet Commission on dementia care