Cognitive impairment, through Alzheimer’s disease or other related forms of dementia, is a serious concern for afflicted individuals and their caregivers. Understanding patients’ mental state and combatting social stigmas are important considerations in caring for cognitively impaired individuals.

Psychosocial Studies of the Individual's Changing Perspectives in Alzheimer's Disease describes programs and strategies that professional and family caregivers can implement to engage and improve the quality of life of persons suffering from cognitive impairment. Including real-world cases by international experts and a personal approach to the subject, this book is an important resource for caregivers, researchers, and families living with dementia.

Coverage:

The many academic areas covered in this publication include, but are not limited to:

Awareness and Identity
Cognitive Decline
Identity Awareness
Illness Narratives
Living with Alzheimer’s
Meaningful Communication
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Neurocognitive Disorders

Reviews & Statements

This collection of scholarly research discusses the changing cognitive impairment of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia and may offer strategies family and caregivers may use in order to improve understanding and quality of care. There is also discussion concerning the social stigma of cognitive impairment, and individual case studies. Chapter titles include, Listening to Alzheimer's: The Role of Social Location in Illness Narratives, Cognitive Decline and the Changing Self in Relationship, Fragmented Existence: Living Alone with Dementia and a Manifest Care Need, and The Sleep-Wake System and Alzheimer's Disease. Several chapters discuss care in countries other than the U.S.

– ProtoView Book Abstracts (formerly Book News, Inc.)

With this book, the authors "seek to provide a human picture of AD and related disorders for the public, the scientific community, practitioners, clinicians, professional and family caregivers, and affected individuals themselves," with the ultimate goal of helping "care providers better serve the affected." This book is unique in the way it addresses Alzheimer's disease from different perspectives. Family members and clinicians will benefit from this resource.

– Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody's Review Service

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Editor/Author Biographies

Cordula Dick-Muehlke, Ph.D., is licensed psychologist who has dedicated her career to bettering the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia and their families. Dr. Dick-Muehlke, a consultant in aging and dementia, holds appointments at the University of California, Irvine as an Associate Clinical Professor with the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, and as a Project Scientist in the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. In 2011, she was recognized as the Dementia Care Professional of the Year by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Her many accomplishments include serving as the executive director of Alzheimer’s Family Services Center in Huntington Beach for 17 years, Chair of the California Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee, and President of the California Association of Adult Day Services. Her special interests include person-centered approaches to dementia and spirituality and aging. Along with her doctorate in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. Dick-Muehlke holds master’s degrees in both theology and counseling psychology.

Ruobing Li is a certified geriatric care manager and patient care coordinator at University of California, Irvine; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). Before joining the research team at UCI MIND, Ruobing Li worked at Council on Aging-Orange County as a case manager, conducting in-home assessment and managing care for frail elderly, Alzheimer’s patients, and individuals with disabilities living in the community. She also provided support to family caregivers, empowering them to utilize community resources and develop skills to maintain the best quality of life. Ruobing Li earned her master’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis in gerontology from California State University, Fullerton.

Myron Orleans comes to this topic from a commitment to implement phenomenological perspectives in unexpected contexts. The challenge of penetrating the meaning structures of Alzheimer’s patients whose cognitive functions are declining motivated him to work with specialists in this field to produce this book. As a professor of sociology, he has taught, researched and written about many constructionist applications. Most recently, he published, "Cases on Critical and Qualitative Perspectives in Online Higher Education" with IGI.

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