Adaptive Interaction and Dementia: How to Communicate Without Speech

Dr Maggie Ellis is Lecturer at the School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, UK. Arlene Astell is Professor at the School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK and at the Department of Occupational Sciences & Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada.

Effective communication with people with dementia is imperative to good relationships with professional caregivers and family members. This book offers a person-centred approach to assessing the communication skills of people with dementia who are unable to speak, and presents evidence-based methods for effective non-verbal communication.

Dedication. Acknowledgements. Preface. 1. Both Sides Now - Advanced Dementia From the Inside Out. 2. We've Only Just Begun - Learning the Language of Dementia. 2.1. The Impact of Dementia on Relationships. 2.2. Changes in Behaviour. 2.3. Malignant Social Psychology. 2.4. Improving Communication. 2.5. Nonverbal Communication. 2.6. Chapter Summary. 3. I Hear You Now - Collaborative Communication. 3.1. Human Communication. 3.2. Models of Communication. 3.3. Individuals with Additional Communication Needs. 3.4. Intensive Interaction. 3.5. Adaptive Interaction. 3.6. Summary. 4. Let's Work Together - Learning the Language of Dementia. 4.1. Step 1: Getting to Know You. 4.2. Step 2: Communication Environment. 4.3. Step 3: Identifying the Communicative Repertoire. 4.4. Step 4: Creating a Connection. 4.5. Step 5: Building the Connection. 4.6. Summary. 5. A Beautiful Noise: Chrissie's Story. 6. I'm Looking Through You: Eleanor's Story. 7. The Sound of Silence: Bert's Story. Epilogue. Appendix - Adaption Interaction Process Charts. References. Index.