Better Living With Dementia: Implications for Individuals, Families, Communities, and Societies highlights evidence-based best practices for improving the lives of patients with dementia. It presents the local and global challenges of these patients, also coupling foundational knowledge with specific strategies to overcome these challenges. The book examines the trajectory of the disease, offers stage-appropriate practices and strategies to improve quality of life, provides theoretical and practical frameworks that inform on ways to support and care for individuals living with dementia, includes evidence-based recommendations for research, and details global examples of care approaches that work. - Weaves research evidence and theories with practical know-how - Identifies support strategies for home, community, and health care settings - Provides stage-appropriate strategies relative to dementia severity - Summarizes dementia pathology, diagnosis, and progression - Considers the changing needs of both the individual with dementia and family and formal caregivers - Offers evidence-informed recommendations for research, practice, policy, and how to make things better at home, in the community, in healthcare and service settings, and through national policies - Provides local and global exemplars of what works - Provides case vignettes to illustrate key points with real examples - Contains brief conversations with national and international experts

Laura N. Gitlin is a Distinguished University Professor and Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University, United States. Her research has specialized in developing, evaluating and implementing nonpharmacological approaches in dementia care, to support family caregiving, reduce functional disability, and enhance aging in place. Her research also examines adaptive processes in chronic illness and aging, including the use of assistive devices, and environmental modifications as well as health disparities in depression and mental health care . She is also an adjunct professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She is the recipient of numerous awards including an honorary fellowship by the American Academy of Nursing, and the M. Powell Lawton Gerontological Society of America award.

Part 1: About the Person 1. How the Brain is Affected 2. Lived Experiences of Individuals with Dementia 3. Breaking the Cycle of Despair 4. Making Life Better for Individuals Living with Dementia

Part II: About Caregivers 5. Family Member as Care Partner 6. How We Can Support Families 7. Formal caregivers: Role of the Inter-professional Team

Part III: About Home and Community Environments 8. The Physical Home Environment - A Neglected Therapeutic Context 9. Living in the community

Part IV: About Social Systems and Policy 10. Settings and Services of Care 11. Global Efforts and National Plans 12. Transforming Dementia care

Part V: Taking Action 13. Developing and Implementing an Action Plan 14. Putting It All Together