Bob Woods is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology of Older People at Bangor University, Wales, UK. For over 40 years he combined clinical work in the NHS with research which has helped to develop and evaluate psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their carers, including cognitive stimulation and reminiscence work. Rachel Thompson is Dementia Project Lead for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and is an Admiral Nurse with Dementia UK. Both have significant experience of nursing in dementia care in practice, research, teaching, and professional writing in this field.
This is a really good and useful contribution. It is full of well-curated information and practical advice, but above all it is full of the humanity of people with dementia and the value of their stories. I thoroughly recommend this book. -- Sube Banerjee, Professor of Dementia, Centre for Dementia Studies, Brighton and Sussex Medical School This book really manages to capture the multi-layered and multi-faceted nature of life story work. It sets life stories within the bigger frameworks of health, psychology, policy, culture change, identity, equality and diversity. We hear about life stories from many people living with dementia, families and professionals covering care at home, care homes, housing, hospitals, end of life, memory assessment services and arts venues. It ranges from the practical to the existential and fizzes with case studies, top tips, and research evidence. -- Professor Dawn Brooker, Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester Life stories, a strand in psychological therapy with older people and people with dementia, has been unfolding over the past 25 years. This timely book brings the many facets of this work together. Here is a sparkling treasure trove of a book containing all you might want to know about life story work and dementia. Written with clarity and in an accessible style suitable for lay persons, it also contains all professionals might want to inform their practice and develop services that place the person with their unique life story at the centre. -- Reinhard Guss, Chair, Dementia Workstream Lead, Faculty of the Psychology of Older People, BPS, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, KMPT