Once viewed as entertainment, activity provision is increasingly being seen as of therapeutic value and an integral part of quality care practice. This change has been so rapid and far-reaching that many staff teams have been left behind, attempting to address new culture requirements with old culture knowledge. This book clarifies and illuminates the changes that have been taking place in the field of activity provision over recent years, and offers a guideline to those who are endeavouring to catch up. The contents include: the difference between old culture and new culture thinking and practice; the new culture from the perspective of the politician, the manager, the care assistant, the activity provider, the researcher, the trainer, the community worker and the activity charity. Between them, the contributors bring a breadth of experience of the changing culture that spans more than three decades. The contributors include: Tessa Perrin; Rosemary Hurtley; Keena Millar Sylvie Silver; Paul Smith; Hazel May; Charlie Murphy; Vivienne Ratcliffe; Kenneth Hawes; Helen Crumpton; Carline Ryder-Jones, Wendy Ferguson Rebecca Colledge; Richard Mepham; Sally Knocker; Simon Labbett. This is a vital resource for all staff and management of care settings for older people.

There are many activity manuals on the market today but this publication is the first to offer a clear guideline on exactly what constitutes good practice in activity provision. Written by the National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People (NAPA), a charity whose remit is to set standards and disseminate knowledge of good practice in activity provision and to support activity providers who work in care settings for older people, this guide offers: a model of good practice in one concise volume; a benchmark against which activity providers can measure and evaluate their practice; clear links to current national standards; guidance for care home owners and managers who wish to respond to the recent government initiatives on providing activities for their clients; and a call for clinical governance in the emerging 'profession' of activity provision.

Winner of the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year 2011 (Category: Maternal And Child Health) Building on children's natural inclinations to pretend and reenact, play therapy is widely used in the treatment of psychological problems in childhood. This book is the only one of its kind with more than 200 therapeutic activities specifically designed for working with children and teenagers within the healthcare system. It provides evidence-based, age-appropriate activities for interventions that promote coping. The activities target topics such as separation anxiety, self-esteem issues, body image, death, isolation, and pain. Mental health practitioners will appreciate its "cookbook" format, with quickly read and implemented activities.

Philosopher and psychotherapist Fred Newman and developmental psychologist Lois Holzman challenge psychology's understandings of what a human being is, what mental illness is, and how people develop and learn. They show how these understandings were created, marketed and sold to the American public. Going beyond critique, the authors argue that instead of psychology, what people the world over need is a cultural, performatory approach to human life. Unscientific Psychology is based on the authors' twenty-five year practice of creating such an approach and the network of therapeutic and educational projects that have been built with it. Unscientific Psychology is at once a narrative of the history of philosophy, modern science and psychology, and a critique of psychology's methodology. Arguing that psychology is a pseudoscientific hoax, the authors deconstruct three of its most powerful myths: the myth of the individual; the myth of mental illness; and the myth of development. They tell the story of how these myths were constructed out of age-old philosophical abstractions to create a world and a discourse of psychological objects. Newman and Holzman invite readers to think in new ways about our lives and the world around us. Like similar books that make discoveries in the social sciences accessible and exciting to an educated audience, Unscientific Psychology taps into the desire of readers who are eager to learn what's on the cutting edge of scientific and cultural change.

Recently, professional understanding of dementia has broadened and has opened up new thinking about how we can provide more imaginative, responsive and 'person-centred' services for people with dementia. Against this background A Handbook of Dementia Care provides a wide-ranging, up-to-date overview of the current state of knowledge in the field. It is comprehensive, authoritative, accessible and thought-provoking. It asks: * How do different theoretical perspectives help us to understand dementia? * What do we know about what constitutes good practice in dementia care? * How can we improve practice and service delivery in dementia care? * How do policy, organizational issues and research impact on dementia care? This handbook provides a unique, multidisciplinary and critical guide to what we know about dementia and dementia care. It is written by leading academics, practitioners and managers involved in the development of dementia care. It demonstrates the value of a wide range of perspectives in understanding dementia care, reviews the latest thinking about good practice, and examines key ethical issues. It explores the way organizations, policy and research shape dementia care, and introduces a range of approaches to practice and service development. A Handbook of Dementia Care is an essential resource for students and professionals in such fields as gerontology, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, geriatric medicine, psychiatry, mental health, psychology, social services and health services management, social policy and health policy.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the nature, practice and therapeutic effects of reminiscence theatre. Drawing on examples from real-life case studies, Pam Schweitzer provides practical advice on the process of taking an oral history, creating from it a written script and developing that into a dramatic production, on whatever scale.