Description: A Positive Approach to Occupation for People with Dementia is designed to enable careers at home and in formal care settings to engage people with dementia in meaningful occupation. It makes the radical proposal that people with dementia have potential for development, and that occupation is the key to unlocking this potential. The main theories of development processes and how these apply to people with dementia are reviewed and discussed. The concepts and value of occupation and activity are also explored in some depth.

The book then focuses on the ways in which dementia care workers can use their observational skills to identify both the developmental and activity level of the person with dementia. Current forms of assessment are compared and evaluated. The book proposes that a care plan should be structured so that it identifies the level of ability for each individual in care and plans specific occupations for them. Methods of working therapeutically and of measuring the impact of this form of care giving are also described. The author also argues that there should be a structured program of support for care workers, and those in management positions are encouraged to provide this through regular supervision. Suggestions for these sessions are provided. Finally a case is used to draw together the main points and to demonstrate how these systems described work in practice.

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