Contented Dementia

For those caring for a parent with Alzheimer's or dementia, Oliver James, one of Britain's leading clinical psychologists has a  new book that explains a revolutionary way to care for them, Using the Past to Sense of the Present

He observed the work of his mother-in-law, Penny Garner.

"The SPECAL method works, irrespective of the cause," says Garner. "It provides the key to communicating with the person and managing care in a way that vastly improves the quality of life."

As life expectancy increases, more people will develop dementia during their last years. The defining feature is generally described as short-term memory loss, but not by Garner. "The key factor for me is that people are no longer able to store new facts about what has just happened, while continuing to store new feelings. I use the analogy of a photograph album. What SPECAL does is to make a present out of the past."
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Dorothy died in 1984, when Garner was busy raising her three daughters. In 1990, however, Garner began working at Burford Hospital, Oxfordshire, with a group of day patients. Talking to them and their carers she refined her methods so that now, in the course of a two-hour interview, she can show the family how to keep the person contented. This involves identifying a familiar theme from the relative's past which gives them a link to established routines and a sense of independence.

SPECAL also teaches carers to avoid asking questions, because that means the person with dementia has to search their recent memories - and that can distress them. Carers are taught to supply reassuring information if the person with dementia asks questions. What the carer says is less important than the feelings their remark generates. The third rule is never to contradict, because that will also cause upset.

The book 24 hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being is available in England, but not yet in the United States.