Rethinking Dementia author, Michael Chapman, is a dual specialist in geriatric and palliative medicine. In this book he acknowledges that dementia is a tragic, feared and all too common condition that challenges how we wish to live and age; and that, currently, there are few effective medical treatments available and there is no cure. Chapman, however, invites us to see the challenges that dementia poses in a new way. Based on research with people with dementia, his clinical experience as a doctor working with people with dementia, their stories, the stories of those closest to them, and the evidence and ideas available in health literature, he undertakes a major rethinking. Chapman proposes a ‘systems approach’ to understanding and dealing with the rippling effects of dementia because the effects of a person’s brain damage are not limited to that particular person, for that person’s family and friends are also affected greatly. As well, the person’s primary care physician (GP) and consultants/specialists (neurologists, psychiatrists) and other healthcare professionals (e.g., neuropsychologists, nurses, clinical social workers), and communities (e.g., respite centers, dementia cafes, houses of worship) are also affected as they are involved in the assessment, care, and support of people diagnosed and their families. These are only parts of what Dr. Chapman refers to as the many ‘rippling effects’ of dementia that extend well beyond the person diagnosed. Through focusing on the networks of people involved in the dementia experience through a systems approach he argues that dementia offers us as individuals and as a community an opportunity for deep learning and hope.
Daftar Isi
Contents – Rethinking Dementia by Michael Chapman
Foreword by Steven Sabat
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Part One – The weight of dementia
1/ Understanding the weight of dementia
2/ What is dementia to us?
3/ Autonomy: a rambling citadel
4/ Simple principles for a complex space
5/ Decisions and dementia: hearing, learning and supporting
6/ Persons, identities and selves
7/ Conclusions and challenges
Interlude – research with people with dementia
Part Two – Dementia’s impact and ripples
1/ Ripples outward – hearing from those we need to learn from
2/ The dementia manifold
3/ Decisions in dementia: stepping stones in the river
4/ Our, not your, dementia
Part Three – From networks to systems
1/ Systems and complexity
2/ Systems in dementia
3/ Mapping change in dementia systems
4/ Making sense of change
Part Four – Rethinking dementia
1/ Dementia: the rock, the ripple or the response?
2/ An ending and a beginning
Biographical notes: Michael Chapman, Mirranda Burton
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
Tentang Penulis
Michael Chapman is a dual specialist in geriatric and palliative medicine based at a metropolitan hospital on Ngunnawal country in Canberra, Australia. Michael’s research focuses on issues of ageing, death and dying. He has a particular interest in dementia and cognitive impairment, in care ethics, and in exploring and supporting care systems. Michael has roles with multiple universities and academic journals and is the recipient of numerous project grants including from the Australian Medical Research Futures Fund.