The L.O.V.E. Approach To Living With Dementia

Description

Navigating the complexities of supporting a loved one or friend living with a dementia can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to go it alone. The L.O.V.E. Approach to Living with Dementia: Engaging in life with family and friends offers a fresh, innovative and empowering approach to supporting persons living with dementia, especially those living at home, while also supporting you so you can both enjoy a life of quality and well-being. When we learn to Listen, Observe, Validate and Engage during any interaction, we build a bond of trust and enjoy a meaningful connection.

Filled with thoughtful and evidence-based strategies and inspiring insights, this interactive workbook is your trusted guide serving as a compassionate companion you can embrace. By meeting social, physical, cognitive and emotional needs, the person will sense a feeling of belonging and validation and can continue living with dignity and purpose. Vicky weaves personal stories, metaphors, compelling research, and anecdotes from her 40 year career in both clinical and community healthcare settings.

What you can expect from this book:
Discover the importance of creating a strong social circle of family and friends for support to provide respite opportunities and stay renewed and refreshed!
Gain strategies to enhance communication and foster positive interactions by easily stepping into their reality and “going with the flow,” thus minimizing conflicts.
Learn how memories are stored and recalled. When a person who cannot “remember” is asked “to remember” they feel shame and embarrassment and can break their spirit.
You can create a supportive environment and simplify tasks so the person can maintain independence longer. Learn to do “with” and not “for” the person.
You will have opportunities to gain more self-awareness and personal growth and develop self-efficacy skills, believing you can make a difference in the person’s life.
Understand the importance of using daily stretches, music and movement, expressive arts, mindfulness training, guided imagery, storytelling, hobbies, singing and dancing to slow the progression of the changes. Dementia is a disability and like so many other disabilities, the person faces discrimination, prejudices and isolation and being included in the community is their right
Understand the importance of maintaining the roles and relationships you have with the person such as a father/son, sister/brother, mother/daughter or friend/friend. An unhealthy imbalance of power arises if you develop significantly more control and influence over the person.
As an adult child, appreciate the honor of supporting a parent who lives with dementia and avoid the mindset you are “parenting your parent.” When you take on this belief you will begin treating your parent as a child. Children’s brains are developing and your parents brain functioning is declining.
Let this book be your guide to address the stigma of dementia and seeing the whole person, not just the diagnosis. When we support people holistically, we ensure we are not reducing our approach to one single aspect of dementia, but see the bigger picture and appreciate the many dimensions of who a person is on the inside.

Begin building resilience, compassion, confidence, and feelings of hope today, and share moments of joy with the person who trusts you the most!

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