How to Live Well with Dementia

Anthea Innes moved from Scotland to Canada in 2022, where she is a professor of health, ageing, and society; Gilbrea research chair in ageing and mental health; and director of the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging at McMaster University. She has conducted social research on dementia for nearly 30 years.Megan E. O’Connell is a registered doctoral psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada. She leads the clinical neuropsychology team in the diagnostic Rural and Remote Memory Clinic, provides care partner support, and researches issues related to dementia care.Carmel Geoghegan is based in Ireland and was primary carer for her mother who lived with mixed dementia. She has remained an advocate and supporter of campaigns that keep the spotlight on dementia and end-of-life care. Her priority is the development of practices and policies that respect people living with a dementia diagnosis, particularly in rural areas.Phyllis Fehr is a person living with dementia in Canada. She is currently a patient advisory to the Alzheimer’s Board for Canada. She provides local leadership to the Empowering Dementia-Friendly Communities Hamilton, Haldimand project, and has written and spoken about her experiences nationally and internationally.

• Introduction. Part 1. Chapter 1. Does something feel different? Is it time to seek a diagnosis?. Chapter 2. How do we adjust to life with the diagnosis?. Chapter 3. Planning for the future: What about advance care directives and care planning?. Part 2. Chapter 4. How can we promote and maintain social health and well-being when living with dementia?. Chapter 5. What care and support in the community might be accessed?. Chapter 6. How do I support the person living with dementia with hospital appointments and admissions?. Part 3. Chapter 7. How do we plan a move to long-stay care?. Chapter 8. How do we deal with end-of-life and palliative care?. Chapter 9. How is it possible to balance the needs of care partners and supporters? Looking after yourself. Conclusion.

“For those facing dementia, whether personally or as a caregiver, this book offers practical advice and heartfelt encouragement.”--Christopher Barry, CEO, Alzheimer Society of Canada. “This excellent book helps us all to become proactive instead of just reactive, which will improve the lives of everyone who lives with or is affected by dementia. Finding out as much information as you can about living with dementia, then changing your life as you learn, helps make the symptoms and deficits less challenging to live with for yourself and those around you. This is a must-have book for those diagnosed, their families, and everyone involved in their care and support. This is a guide that I wish I had when first diagnosed. It starts at the beginning and accompanies you alongside your life with dementia, until the final chapter where it continues to support those left behind. All the information you need is in one place, written by experts, including those who have been directly affected- the experts by experience.”--Chris Roberts, Chair of the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD) and Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society UK.