Memory Rehabilitation

Barbara A. Wilson, OBE, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist, is founder of the Oliver Zangwill Centre for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Ely, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. She has worked in brain injury rehabilitation since the 1970s. Dr. Wilson has published 26 books, over 300 journal articles and book chapters, and 8 neuropsychological tests, and is editor of the journal Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. She has won many awards for her work, including five lifetime achievement awards, the Ramón y Cajal Award from the International Neuropsychiatric Association, and the M. B. Shapiro Award from the British Neuropsychological Society. She is past president of the British Neuropsychological Society and the International Neuropsychological Society, and is currently president of the Encephalitis Society and on the management committee of the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation. Dr. Wilson is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Academy of Social Sciences. She is an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong, the University of Sydney, and the University of East Anglia, and holds honorary degrees from the University of East Anglia and the University of Córdoba in Argentina.

• 1. Understanding Memory and Memory Impairments2. Recovery of Memory Functions after Brain Injuries3. Assessment for Rehabilitation4. Compensating for Memory Deficits with Memory Aids, with Narinder Kapur5. Mnemonics and Rehearsal Strategies in Rehabilitation6. New Learning in Rehabilitation: Errorless Learning, Spaced Retrieval (Expanded Rehearsal), and Vanishing Cues7. Memory Groups8. Treating the Emotional and Mood Disorders Associated with Memory Impairment9. Goal Setting to Plan and Evaluate Memory Rehabilitation10. Putting It All Together11. Final Thoughts and a General SummaryAppendix: Resources

A 'must read' for any professional who works with individuals with memory impairment and their family members. The rich literature on compensatory strategies to decrease the impact of memory impairment and techniques to help patients learn more efficiently comes alive in this very thorough and usable text. Wilson’s incisive understanding of the emotional difficulties experienced by people with cognitive problems--and how to integrate psychosocial and cognitively focused interventions--is particularly welcome and important.--Catherine A. Mateer, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Who else but Barbara Wilson, the world's leading expert on memory rehabilitation, could have written a book like this? Flowing easily between research findings, clinical anecdotes, and practical treatment recommendations, the book never loses sight of the real-life consequences of memory loss. In an age when war has made traumatic brain injury tragically familiar, Wilson explains the complex ways in which memory processing is prone to failure in this and other nonprogressive brain disorders, and shows how everyday functioning can be improved by rehabilitation techniques that focus on compensation and coping.--Myrna F. Schwartz, PhD, Associate Director, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania This remarkable book combines a scholarly and comprehensive review of the neuroanatomical and neuropsychological bases of memory rehabilitation with straightforward, step-by-step descriptions of memory rehabilitation procedures. The book showcases Wilson's facility for making the complexities of neuropsychological rehabilitation accessible even to those without an extensive background in the psychological and neurological sciences. A wide range of professionals interested in memory rehabilitation will find this volume indispensable for study and reference.--James F. Malec, PhD, Research Director, Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana; Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota - A practical, how-to text for the psychologist interested in developing an inpatient or outpatient memory rehabilitation program to assist an individual or group of individuals with nonprogressive brain damage. Practical recommendations for specific rehabilitation strategies, assessments, and goal setting are supported by behavioral, cognitive, and neuropsychological theory. This easy-to-read book also provides helpful information to psychology and neuroscience graduate students studying memory functioning and rehabilitation psychology....Utilizing this book should enable professionals to assist their clients in maximizing the goal-setting potential for functional memory outcome in overall quality of life. --PsycCRITIQUES, 5/23/2009ƒƒ Barbara Wilson is a renowned authority in memory research. She has also developed a functional clinical approach for helping patients with memory impairments manage their everyday lives. This latest book is true to her philosophy of integrating theory and practice....An insightful, wide-ranging, and practical introduction for professionals interested in the rehabilitation of memory. --The Psychologist, 5/23/2009ƒƒ An accessible and interesting read, providing clear descriptions and evaluations of treatment options for people experiencing memory difficulties. It offers a comprehensive, one-stop resource that contains a great deal of information and research. Theoretically driven approaches are presented and discussed in relation to their clinical application and regular case examples and reflections on practice help to bring the subject to life....This book as an enjoyable and surprisingly accessible read given the breadth of information if contains. I was left with increased optimism that there is much we can do, beyond targeting lost function, to alleviate the distress and disability caused by memory difficulties. --Journal of International Psychogeriatrics, 5/23/2009ƒƒ An excellent introductory book on the topic....The book has many strong points that will make it a desired resource for professionals wishing to develop and implement empirically derived memory rehabilitation programs. It provides a concise overview of behavioral approaches to a variety of specific memory rehabilitation strategies and techniques. Among the beneficial features in the book is a repetitive focus on cognitive and learning theory as applied in such rehabilitation. Wilson also does an excellent job discussing why such behavioral approaches are beneficial to individuals with memory difficulties and in presenting current supporting research....It serves to provide a readable understanding of rehabilitative methods that can be practically beneficial to individuals with memory disorders, and most importantly, it provides the neuropsychologist and rehabilitation professional with the theory behind the practice. --Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 5/23/2009ƒƒ Indispensable for anyone interested in memory or working with the memory impaired, the book includes an appendix that lists resources offering advice and information....Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. --Choice, 1/3/2010