ìHow to comfort? How to help?î are questions often asked by persons providing care to individuals suffering from dementia. According to Hoffman and Platt–a warm smile, gentle touch, and soothing voice tone can help toward improving quality of life.
The authors believe caregivers should be encouraged to emphasize non-verbal aspects of their communication throughout their daily care of the demented. Hoffman and Platt provide research-based, practical guidelines for communicating with dementia patients and offer strategies for responding to depression, aggression, wandering, and other behavioral problems. New to the Second edition are chapters addressing:
- Feeding strategies
- Falls and Use of Mechanical Restraints
- Special Care Units
- Dying and Grieving
Each chapter features learning objectives, a pretest, a posttest, and learning exercises. The book is a valuable tool for inservice training and a practical resource for professionals.
