Communication and Aging: Creative Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life provides an overview of alternative approaches used to improve the quality of life of individuals with long-term chronic communication diseases associated with aging and neurogenic diseases. This text examines how professionals can inspire and develop programs that allow patients to live successfully with their disorders. -- from back cover.

This text employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies and considers such topics as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations have in elderly people's lives. The impact of nonrelational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully. The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed. Readers of this volume will gain greater understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related areas, Communication and Aging provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging process.

This book concentrates not only on the various communication disorders primarily affecting older adults, but also upon aspects of ageing that have an impact on caring services and strategies. The topics covered are those described by professionals who provide services to the communicatively impaired elderly as those most critical for both practisin

This text explores how art education can meaningfully address the needs of older adults as learners, makers, and teachers of art in formal and informal settings. It combines perspectives of museum educators, teacher preparation professors, art therapists, teaching artists, and older artists on what is meant by Creative Aging and the ways art education can support the health and well-being of this population. Most importantly, the book discusses what the field of art education can gain from older adult learners and creators. Chapters are organized into five sections: Creatively Aging, Meeting Older Adults’ Unique Needs, Intergenerational Art Education, Engaging Older Adults With Artworks and Objects, and In Our Own Voices: Older Adults as Learners, Makers, and Teachers. Within each section, contributors investigate themes critical to art education within aging populations such as memory loss, disability, coping with life transitions, lifelong learning, intergenerational relationships, and personal narrative. The final section focuses on accounts from older adult artists/educators, offering insights and proposing new directions for growing older creatively. Though ideal for art education faculty and students in graduate and undergraduate settings, as well as art education scholars and those teaching in multigenerational programs within community settings, this book is an expansive resource for any artist, student, or scholar interested in the links among health, well-being, and arts participation for older adults.

Aging populations are a major consideration for socio-economic development in the early 21st century. This demographic change is mainly seen as a threat rather than as an opportunity to improve the quality of human life. Aging population is taking place in every continent of the world with Europe in the least favourable situation due to its aging population and reduction in economic competitiveness. Economic Foundations for Creative Aging Policy offers public policy ideas to construct positive answers for ageing populations. This exciting new volume searches for economic solutions that can enable effective social policy concerning the elderly. Klimczuk covers theoretical analysis and case study descriptions of good practices, to suggest strategies that could be internationally popularised.

Quality of life (QoL) is a broad concept that has many definitions and meanings depending on the context under consideration. It can be perceived as the overall enjoyment of life, and a multidimensional concept which emphasizes the self-perceptions of an individual’s current state of mind, which is affected in a complex way by the person’s physical health, psychological state, personal beliefs, social relationships, and their relationship to salient features of their environment. On the other hand, demographic data suggests an increased need for workers worldwide and a rapid aging trend in the active workforce as well as in general. This trend of workforce deficit and population aging will be even more prominent in the future. Therefore, in order to have and sustain a healthy, motivated, and productive workforce, but also healthy, independent, and active elderly adults, one must improve their QoL, and vice versa. Improving QoL will improve general public health, and in turn create communities who can contribute in diverse and positive ways to both promote and sustain health for future generations.

Art Therapy and Creative Aging offers an integrated perspective on engaging with older people through the arts. Drawing from the author’s clinical, research and teaching experiences, the book explores how arts engagement can intertwine with and support healthy aging. This book combines analysis of current development theory, existing research on creative programs with elders, and case examples of therapeutic experience to critically examine ageism and demonstrate how art therapy and creative aging approaches can harness our knowledge of the cognitive and emotional development of older adults. Chapters cover consideration of generational, cultural, and historical factors; the creative, cognitive and emotional developmental components of aging; arts and art therapy techniques and methods with older adults with differing needs; and examples of best practices. Creative arts therapists, creative aging professionals, and students who seek foundational concepts and ideas for arts practice with older people will find this book instrumental in developing effective ways of using the arts to promote health and well-being and inspire engagement with this often-underserved population.

Person-Centered Memory and Communication Interventions for Dementia: A Case Study Approach is the third volume in the “Medical Speech-Language Pathology” book series. It is a practical, peer-reviewed resource for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with people with dementia. In this unique text, the authors cover a variety of evidence-based clinical procedures for the memory, communication, and behavioral challenges of people with dementia. The aim is to empower SLPs and other clinicians to implement practices that elevate the personhood of people living with various dementia syndromes. Throughout this clinician-friendly text, the authors cover three main areas of focus: elevating personhood, the “how tos” of clinical procedures, and the organizational-level barriers and facilitators to implementation. After an introductory chapter, the next eight chapters describe a detailed case study that explains specific person-centered assessment and treatment methods. The cases depict a diverse group of people providing insights into the range of concerns and joys involved in supporting memory and communication in a manner that is culturally responsive and equitable. Key Features: * The only dementia text that incorporates a culturally responsive approach to cases that reflect the increasing diversity of the aging population * Specific examples of the “how tos” of person-centered, evidence-based care * Detailed personal, assessment, and treatment histories for each case, with a table of goals and intervention procedures, as well as illustrations of memory and communication strategies * Each chapter starts with an “At-A-Glance” section to highlight the person and ends with a summary of key points of the treatment and implementation factors * Uses a highly readable writing style with boxes, tables, and figures to support the text

Psychodynamic Approaches to the Experience of Dementia: Perspectives from Observation, Theory and Practice demonstrates the impact of healthcare approaches that take into account not only the practical needs but also the emotional experience of the patient, their partners, families and friends, lay carers and professional staff. Currently there is no cure for dementia, but the psychosocial and therapeutic approaches described in this volume have appeared to help people, both patients and carers, feel more contained and less lonely and isolated. Psychoanalytic theory provides a disciplined way of thinking about the internal world of an individual and their relationships. Each author provides their own commentary on the personal and interpersonal effects of dementia, endeavouring to understand behaviours and emotions which may otherwise seem incomprehensible. The subject is approached from a psychodynamic perspective, considering the unconscious, previous and current experiences and relationships, including those between patients and staff. Psychodynamic Approaches to the Experience of Dementia illustrates the practical and theoretical thinking of clinicians from a wide range of disciplines who are engaged in the care of people in late life with a diagnosis of dementia. It will be essential reading for mental health and health professionals in practice and training in the field of dementia.

A Must-Have Resource for Clinicians, Instructors, and Students in Training! Written by internationally recognized experts, Cognitive Communication Disorders of MCI and Dementia, Third Edition provides professionals and students the most up-to-date research on the clinical assessment and management of individuals with dementia and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the fastest growing clinical population. Dr. Kimberly McCullough, an expert on MCI and cognitive stimulation, joined Bayles and Tomoeda as co-author and this edition has an increased coverage of MCI, its characteristic features, the diagnostic criteria for its diagnosis, and treatment options. Students and practicing professionals will appreciate the authors' overview of the relation of cognition to communicative function and the characterization of how both are affected in MCI and the common dementia-related diseases including Alzheimer's, Lewy Body, Vascular, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Frontotemporal and Down Syndrome. A summary of important points at the end of chapters highlights essential clinical information and guides student learning. An all-new Clinical Guide comprises the second half of the book providing an extensive discussion of the process of assessment and evidence-based treatments for individuals in all stages of dementia. Features of the New Clinical Practice Guide Assessment: The authors provide a step-by-step discussion of the assessment process, an overview of reputable tests, and how to differentiate cognitive-communication disorders associated with MCI and dementing diseases. Treatment: This section includes comprehensive and detailed instructions for implementing evidence-based interventions for individuals in all stages of dementia. Additional topics include: A person-centered model for successful interventionCognitive stimulation programming for MCIClinical techniques supported by the principles of neuroplasticityIndirect interventions that facilitate communication, quality of life, and the safety of individuals with dementiaCaregiver counselingCare planning, goal setting, reimbursement and required documentation Case Examples: Includes restorative and functional maintenance plans. Cognitive-Communication Disorders of MCI and Dementia: Definition, Assessment, and Clinical Management was written by individuals dedicated to the study and treatment of cognitive-communicative disorders associated with dementia. Their research has received support by the NIH, the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association, the Andrus Foundation, as well as the University of Arizona, Appalachian State University and the University of Central Arkansas.