The approx. 1.8 million people with dementia in Germany repeatedly pose great challenges to caregiving relatives and professionals working with the elderly. In particular, since those affected with advanced dementia are often no longer able to clearly communicate their wishes and needs, so that those around them have to freely interpret their behavior.
Dementia sufferers as therapeutic fair game
A “dementia industry” (Gronemeyer 2013) is now pushing its way into this uncertainty gap, promising users “solutions for dealing with it” and “ways into the world of dementia”. Without reliable scientific knowledge, dementia pedagogics that have gone wild can now let off steam profitably on those affected. People with advanced dementia thus become the fair game of nursing, care and medical-pharmacological treatment.
Less is sometimes more
dr Stephan Kostrzewa offers a clear alternative to this absurd logic in his new book “Therapeutisches Gammeln für Menschen mit Dementia”, which was published by GRIN in May 2023. The concept is based on giving those affected back their autonomy and thus also the control over their care and support: Among other things, by reducing the range of therapy and training courses instead of increasing them excessively and by allowing employees and relatives to orientate themselves on the well-being expressions of the dementia patient .
Not only external control bodies such as home supervision and medical services are put to the test, but also the needs of the relatives of people with dementia (so far only assumed and assumed). Kostrzewa’s book explains the complete concept of therapeutic idleness, which is already being adopted by the first institutions, and is therefore not only aimed at people affected by dementia, their relatives and caregivers, but also at the general public.
About the author
It is a matter close to the heart of the author that therapeutic idleness is made possible for people with advanced dementia. dr Stephan Kostrzewa (certified geriatric nurse, palliative care specialist and social scientist) has been supporting and advising various institutions for inpatient and outpatient care for the elderly for many years. As head of the institute for palliative and geriatric psychiatric interventions, he trains employees in the field of palliative care, palliative medicine and geriatric psychiatric specialist care. His expertise can be found in many specialist books and articles on palliative care, dementia care and work with relatives.
The book was published by GRIN in May 2023 (ISBN 978-3-34686-951-7).
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Free review copies can be obtained directly from the publisher at [email protected].
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