Rethinking Dementia

Rethinking Dementia author, Michael Chapman, is a dual specialist in geriatric and palliative medicine. In this book he acknowledges that dementia is a tragic, feared and all too common condition that challenges how we wish to live and age; and that, currently, there are few effective medical treatments available and there is no cure. Chapman, however, invites us to see the challenges that dementia poses in a new way. Based on research with people with dementia, his clinical experience as a doctor working with people with dementia, their stories, the stories of those closest to them, and the evidence and ideas available in health literature, he undertakes a major rethinking. Chapman proposes a "systems approach" to understanding and dealing with the rippling effects of dementia because the effects of a person's brain damage are not limited to that particular person, for that person's family and friends are also affected greatly. As well, the person's primary care physician (GP) and consultants/specialists (neurologists, psychiatrists) and other healthcare professionals (e.g., neuropsychologists, nurses, clinical social workers), and communities (e.g., respite centers, dementia cafes, houses of worship) are also affected as they are involved in the assessment, care, and support of people diagnosed and their families. These are only parts of what Dr. Chapman refers to as the many "rippling effects" of dementia that extend well beyond the person diagnosed. Through focusing on the networks of people involved in the dementia experience through a systems approach he argues that dementia offers us as individuals and as a community an opportunity for deep learning and hope.