*Highly Commended in the Popular Medicine category at the 2012 British Medical Association Book Awards* The simple sensation of touching someone's hand can have a powerful therapeutic effect. Hand massage is a positive and meaningful way of reaching out and providing comfort to those who are elderly, ill or nearing the end of life, and it can be particularly effective for people with dementia who may respond well to positive non-verbal interaction. This book offers inspiration for all caregivers looking for an alternative way to support and connect with a family member, friend or patient in their care. It teaches an easy 30 minute hand massage sequence and offers clear instructions and detailed illustrations to guide the reader through each step. Combining light massage strokes with focused awareness, and paying close attention to points on energy pathways, this book introduces a structured way of sharing touch that is grounded in Western and Eastern massage traditions. Gentle touch therapy is ideal for healthcare professionals and family members alike, and has been shown to have physical and emotional benefits for both the giver and the receiver.

The radiant energy in human touch can have a powerful therapeutic effect for those who are elderly, ill or dying. Explaining the benefits, practicalities and research behind touch therapy, this book teaches a simple hand massage sequence for all carers looking for an effective way to support and connect with a family member, friend or patient.

Meaningful touch is an essential part of truly person-centred dementia care, yet its value is often viewed as secondary to its perceived risks. This book restores trust in the power of touch, demonstrating the vital role it plays in supporting personhood, relationships and wellbeing, and challenging the barriers preventing staff from using touch in meaningful ways. Using many examples from practice, Luke Tanner demonstrates that touch and other forms of non-verbal communication are essential for 'being with' and not just 'doing to' people living with a dementia, and explains how and when to use touch effectively in everyday interactions, and in all stages of dementia. He places touch in the context of consent and safeguarding, whilst emphasising the need for positive attitudes to touch to be at the heart of care cultures. Offering perspectives, ideas, training exercises and culture change actions to maximise the benefits of touch in dementia care settings, this practical guide will enable practitioners to reflect on their own use of touch and develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to place meaningful touch at the heart of their work.

“This 5th edition is an important achievement; it is a symbol of commitment to the field of palliative nursing, where we have been and where we are going.” - Betty Rolling Ferrell, PhD, MA, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN From the Foreword The aging population has only grown since the first edition of this comprehensive and seminal publication nearly 20 years ago. Based on the need to humanize rather than medicalize the illness experience for patients, this text delves into palliative care beyond the specific diseases affecting the patient. Instead, content focuses on the whole person and family. Palliative patients struggle with chronic, debilitating, and painful conditions, and grapple with the fact that life as they knew it has already passed away. Families and friends reciprocally suffer, not knowing how to help and therefore become the secondary victims of the disease. This is not the challenge of a lone nurse, or a single physician, therapist, or social worker. Rather, palliative and hospice care requires the expertise and unique roles of an interprofessional team to help the patient and family strengthen their resilience, continue to find meaning and purpose in life, and cure what can be cured. Palliative Care Nursing, Fifth Edition, delivers advanced empirical, aesthetic, ethical and personal knowledge. This new edition brings an increased focus on outcomes, benchmarking progress, and goals of care. It expounds upon the importance of the cross-disciplinary collaboration introduced in the previous edition. Every chapter in Sections I, II, and III includes content written by a non-nursing member of the interprofessional team. Based on best-evidence and clinical practice guidelines, this text presents comprehensive, targeted interventions responsive to the needs of palliative and hospice patients and family. Each chapter contains compassionate, timely, appropriate, and cost-effective care for diverse populations across the illness trajectory. Key Features The expanded new edition offers current, comprehensive, one-stop source of highly-relevant clinical information on palliative care Life-span approach: age-appropriate nursing considerations (e.g. geriatric, pediatric and family) Includes disease-specific and symptom-specific nursing management chapters Promotes a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to palliative care Offers important legal, ethical and cultural considerations related to death and dying Case Studies with Case Study Conclusion in each clinical chapter New to The Fifth Edition: An expanded chapter on Palliative Care incorporates most up to date scope and standards, information on Basic and Advanced HPNA certification, self-reflection and self-care for nurses. A chapter on Interprofessional Collaboration Instructor Resources: Power points and Test bank

Offers simple and practical ways for direct care staff to provide holistic end-of-life care for people with advanced dementia. --Publisher.

Massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and a variety of relaxation techniques are frequently used in hospices, supportive care settings and some hospitals. However, there are still gaps and limitations in the choices offered to patients. HEARTS (Hands-on, Empathy, Aromas, Relaxation, Textures, Sound) was devised to bridge this gap for complementary therapists, patients, carers and health care professionals. HEARTS can be used either on its own, or integrated with a conventional complementary therapy. It can also be used easily by health care workers (and carers) who are not qualified in any therapies. By discussing principles which may influence the effectiveness of touch and relaxation therapies, the book emphasises that there are 'easy' approaches that can be utilised when working with distressed and vulnerable patients. By developing an understanding of touch, aromas and the sound of the human voice, Combining Touch and Relaxation Skills for Cancer Care guides practitioners in helping their patients achieve a state of relaxation and calm as quickly and easily as possible.

The original Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First by Tom Kitwood was published by Open University Press in 1997. It was a seminal text in the field of dementia studies and is still cited and referenced as core reading on person-centred dementia care. Tom died unexpectedly, just 12 months after the book was published. This book continues to inspire many people to challenge simplistic paradigms about dementia. Since the original book was written, however, there have been many changes in our understanding of dementia. The editor of this new edition, Dawn Brooker was mentored by Tom Kitwood. She has drawn together a remarkable group of writers to provide a commentary on Kitwood’s work. This new edition reproduces the original chapters but provides extra content from subject experts to update the book to a contemporary level. Dementia Reconsidered Re-visited is an ideal main text or supplementary text for all those studying or working in nursing, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, adult education, gerontology and health and social care more generally. “This important book does three things. It brings to a new generation the insight and vision of Tom Kitwood. It highlights the remarkable progress we have made in recent years. But most important of all it reminds us what still needs to be done if we are to fully respect the rights of people with dementia and their family care-givers. Kitwood inspired Alzheimer’s Society to knit together research, care, and societal change. We are now re-inspired to make sure all progress is evidenced and evaluated for its impact. We must realise the enormous opportunities the digital age offers people affected by dementia but in doing so constantly listen to and learn from their many and varied voices across nations and cultures.” Jeremy Hughes CBE, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society, UK