Clive Beaumont was diagnosed with Younger Onset Dementia at age 45, when his children were aged just 3 and 4. He had become less and less able to do his job properly and had been made redundant from the Army the year before. Clive's wife, Helen, tells of how she and the rest of the family made it through the next six years until Clive died: the challenge of continually adapting to his progressive deterioration; having to address the legal implications of the illness; applying for benefit payments; finding nursing homes; and juggling her responsibilities as a wife, a mother and an employee. She also describes the successful founding and development of The Clive Project, a registered charity set up by Helen and others in a bid to establish support services for people with Younger Onset Dementia. Younger Onset Dementia is comparatively rare, but not that rare. This story is for the family and friends of people with the condition, for the people themselves, and for the professionals working with them.

Although currently many people with dementia are not given the opportunity to receive professional counselling, this book explores the value of counselling for men and women living with this condition and how it enables them to make sense of their lives and their notions of themselves. The author explores the pervasive myth that all experiences of living with dementia are entirely negative and shows counsellors and carers how a person-centred counselling experience can have positive outcomes for those with dementia and the people who care for them. Based on the author's own experiences of counselling people with dementia, the book covers the fundamentals of the counselling process and precisely what a person-centred approach entails. The book then brings together several theories of counselling such as the role of the 'spiritual' in the counselling relationship; working with concepts of relational depth and configurations of Self; and the author's own theories of relating to a person's spiritual core. Accumulating findings from over 20 years of counselling experience in both the UK and the US, this book explores the importance of the Self and recognising each individual's worth and value. Dialogue from the author's counselling experiences is used to illustrate the person-centred counselling approach. Providing a comprehensive guide to person-centred counselling for people with dementia, this book gives an illuminating perspective on the subject and will be of value to counsellors, health and social care professionals, carers, people with dementia and their families.

Providing key information and insight into the experiences of people living with a diagnosis of young onset dementia, this book will increase the knowledge and skills of health and social care professionals in the early recognition, diagnosis and support of young people with dementia and their families. The book explores the experiences of people living with a diagnosis of young onset dementia through detailed case studies, and gives learning points to implement in practice for the better provision of appropriate support and care. It explains the need for adapting services which are often designed for older people, and how the complicated diagnostic process can lead to misdiagnosis among younger people. Key issues are considered, including at-risk groups, work and dealing with potential loss of employment, changes in personal and family relationships, readjusting life expectations and plans, and social isolation.

Dementia not only affects the person presented with the diagnosis, but their family and friends too. This book provides practitioners with strategies to support the whole family and understand their dementia journey both pre- and post-diagnosis. This is facilitated through a series of activities and reflective prompts. There is also a dedicated chapter offering structured exercises for health and social care practitioners and students. The book introduces the Lawrence family, where Peter has been diagnosed with dementia, and provides perspectives from each family member, allowing practitioners to become acquainted with the lived experience of everyone involved. The reflective questions allow readers to become actively engaged to maximise their knowledge and understanding, and to better contextualize what the dementia experience feels like for family and friends. With its focus on the all-important lived experience of the whole family during the diagnostic process and beyond, this is essential reading for any practitioner working with people with dementia.

How to live a full and rewarding life after a dementia diagnosis. Keith Oliver was diagnosed with young onset dementia at the age of 55. Unaware at the time that dementia could affect people of this age, Keith set out to increase public awareness of the condition and dispel the myths about the illness. Using a unique diary format, this intimate and empowering memoir captures what everyday life with dementia is like, offering both a candid look at its struggles, and a profoundly moving account of Keith's journey to live a full life afterwards.

Provides information on dementia, including its causes, effects, and treatment.

In People with Dementia Speak Out, twenty-three people from diverse backgrounds share their experiences of living with dementia. The contributors are honest about the frustrations and fears they face, but overall there is remarkably little self-pity and a great deal of optimism. The personal accounts demonstrate that with the right support at the right time, and above all with opportunities to continue to contribute to society in a meaningful way, it is possible to live well with dementia. These fascinating stories bring to life the characters behind the collective term 'people with dementia', and show that each person with dementia is a unique individual with their own personality, history, beliefs, cultural affinities and sense of humour, and their own way of adapting to the disabilities and opportunities which this condition confers. This unique collection of personal testimonies will be reassuring and encouraging for those coming to terms with a diagnosis of dementia, for their families and carers, and is essential reading for health and social care professionals at all levels.