The Leveson Centre for the Study of Ageing,
Spirituality and Social Policy
Dementia - Book notices and reviews
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resources from the Leveson Centre
Lighting the Way: spiritual and religious care
for those with dementia
Patricia Higgins and Richard Allen, South West London and St George's
Mental Health NHS Trust, 2005, 52 pages, free by sending an A5 SAE
with a 46p stamp from Patricia Higgins, 122 Park Lane, Wallington,
Surrey SM6 0TL
The authors of this booklet, together with Alix Morgan received the
annual Award for Excellence and Innovation in Dementia Care, sponsored
by the Alzheimer's Society and the Queens Nursing Institute for their
work in setting up and developing the Candlelight Group which responds
to the spiritual and religious needs of patients in the Downs Day
Hospital by providing a weekly act of worship.
The booklet, funded from the prize, begins by reflecting on dementia
itself and on the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of people
with dementia. It then moves on to issues of worship with such a group
and offers a set of principles to be followed when planning a service
of worship. It looks at thirteen practical considerations to be taken
into account ranging from the space, aspects of liturgy, music and
symbols to problems of communication. A short section considers the
application of their philosophy to other faiths.
The second half of the booklet headed Resources gives a reading,
hymn or song and ideas for a time of reflection for every week of
the year following the Revised Common Lectionary and an Appendix provides
the complete service outline for the Candlelight group and services
for Christmas, Easter and Harvest.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this booklet which would be invaluable
to anyone involved in worship for people with dementia, whatever the
setting, and the authors are to be congratulated on the comprehensiveness,
clarity of expression and common sense of this publication.
Now available from the Leveson Centre (Leveson Paper 16)
Alison M Johnson (Editor, Leveson Newsletter)
O Tidings of Comfort and Joy
A CD of favourite Christmas hymns, chosen by older people living
with dementia and sung by choirs and members of churches at Holy Corner,
Edinburgh has been published in time for Christmas. The CD, price
£5.00 (plus £1.00 postage and packing) is available by
phoning 01786 467740 or e-mailing dementia@stir.ac.uk
Explorations in Dementia: Theoretical and Research
Studies into the Experience of Remediable and Enduring Cognitive Losses,
Michael Bender, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 448 pages, £19.95,
ISBN1-84310-040-1
I came to reading this book with very little background knowledge
about dementia. The author, a consultant clinical psychologist working
with older adults in the West Country has produced a textbook which
expands, explains and illuminates this very complex area. The book
is well organised, well written and reflects significant research
and professional experience of working with people with dementia.
There is an extensive discussion about the terms and Bender argues
that a care approach informed by a number of inter-professional perspectives
can best support those living with dementia. He is particularly good
at emphasising the importance of social context in our approach to
care.
I am not qualified to evaluate this particular psychological model
of dementia, but commend the book as an important contribution to
our understanding of dementia through its comprehensive study of the
psychology of dementia and its critique of a number of perspectives
on dementia.
The book significantly adds to Jessica Kingsley's reputation for
major pieces of work in the area of care for older people. This volume
deserves a wide circulation amongst professionals, academics and students
in the field of Dementia Services. I hope that we can find ways of
relating these theories to practice so that we can all continue to
strive to improve the quality of care amongst nurses, carers and social
workers.
James Woodward (Centre Director)
A Guide to the Spiritual Dimension of Care for
People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia. More than Body,
Brain and Breath,
Eileen Shamy, Jessica Kingsley, 2003, 224 pages, ISBN 1-84310-129-7,
£16.95.
This is a book for those actively engaged in or interested in spiritual
ministry to persons with dementia. Shamy draws heavily upon her experience,
making this book very personal in its approach. I appreciated this
style, feeling that the anecdotes anchor the book in the realm of
what can be done rather than the theoretical world of the 'maybes'.
This very personal style also makes this book easily accessible.
The late Eileen Shamy was a New Zealander, teacher, Methodist minister
and a pioneer in ministry to people with Alzheimer's Disease. The
book was originally published in New Zealand in 1997 under the title
'More than Body, Brain and Breath' and has now been edited by Albert
Jewell and Mannes Tidmarsh, 'to make it more accessible to readers
outside the UK.' It is a very personal book and in part is a casework
journal, at other times a record of a spiritual encounter between
the author and the people to whom she ministered. In reading it, I
felt the actual pastoral encounter was more important than the dementia.
Eileen Shamy writes as a Christian minister and her imagery is drawn
from Christian scripture. The main concepts of the book, those of
spirituality, retained through dementia, and personal worth should
be acceptable to people of most world faiths. I take away basic things
from this book such as the need to re-member people in my ministry,
and to assist re-mind-ing them by my approach to their situation.
For anyone who is involved in ministry to someone with dementia this
is a solid starting point and would fit well on the bookshelf of the
study as well as being engaging enough to be on the bedside cabinet.
Major David Tribble (Salvation Army) - reprinted
with permission from the CCOA Dementia Group Newsletter April 2004.
Memory's Tomb: dementia and a theology of Holy
Saturday.
Available price £1.00 by e-mailing Lynn.Fox@mha.org.uk
This is the first in a new series of Aspects of Ageing Papers from
MHA Care Group which hopes to build on the solid foundations laid
by the Halley Stewart Age Awareness Project. Written by an ordinand
in the URC, Suzanne McDonald, it attempts to find a theological language
for dementia in the light of Alan Lewis's exploration of Holy Saturday
as a no-man's land and time of waiting. She relates this to Malcolm
Goldsmith's 'remembered by God' model and concludes that 'we can offer
the true depths of God's promise that our identities are upheld in
God's own remembering'.
Religious Practice and People with Dementia,
Brian Allen (editor) Price £2.50 Available from CCOA Publications,
19 Eldred Road Liverpool L16 8NZ with cheque payable to CCOA
This booklet, published by the Christian Council on Ageing Dementia
Group, is designed to assist with practical issues to do with five
major world faiths. Addressing spiritual needs is essential to good
all round care and religious belief and practice is for some people
a vital part of their spirituality. This publication contains some
basic introductory background information for each world faith (including
Christianity) followed by a brief selection of prayers and readings
from each faith which carers might be able to use with people with
dementia, or others for whom they are caring.
Restoring the Soul
A selection of favourite hymns sung by choirs and members from Morningside
United Church, Christ Church Morningside and Morningside Baptist Church,
Edinburgh
Suggestions for this CD were collected by the Revd Susan Kirkbride
of Morningside United Church and a member of the CCOA Dementia Group.
She took a list of hymns on her regular visits to a day care service
for people with dementia, local care homes and housebound older parishioners.
Chatting about hymns and looking through the hymn book stirred up
memories and gave people the opportunity to talk about their lives.
For some, simply reading the titles of hymns was enough of a trigger.
One lady sang her favourite hymn word perfect without even looking
at the book, while others recalled the hymns they had at their weddings
or talked about Sunday school. The most popular choices have been
used to produce the CD which is available price £6.00 plus £2.00
postage and packing from the Dementia Services Development Centre,
Stirling, Tel: 01786 467740, E-mail: dementia@stir.ac.uk
A Special Kind of Care.
Available from the MHA Care Group, website www.mha.org.uk
MHA Care Group commissioned this research from the Bradford Dementia
Group shortly before the death of Professor Tom Kitwood. It is a longitudinal
study of 93 residents with dementia in ten MHA care homes. The aim
was to contribute to understanding of well-being and the factors which
promote it in long-term care. The team gathered information about
people's well-being from records, questionnaires, rating scales and
interviews.
Key findings confirmed that people with dementia were striving to
make sense of and actively to respond to the physical and social world
around them. They showed signs of four aspects of well-being - identity
, sense of control, hope and social confidence. Their well-being was
very fragile and could easily be upset by what might otherwise seem
to be small events and trivial interactions. The special understanding
of staff played a key role in contributing towards well-being. The
report concludes with some important implications for practice and
encourages providers to ensure that staff are given the recognition,
support and organisational backing they need to enable them to give
the special kind of care in the title.
