Dementia not only affects the person presented with the diagnosis, but their family and friends too. This book provides practitioners with strategies to support the whole family and understand their dementia journey both pre- and post-diagnosis. This is facilitated through a series of activities and reflective prompts. There is also a dedicated chapter offering structured exercises for health and social care practitioners and students.

The book introduces the Lawrence family, where Peter has been diagnosed with dementia, and provides perspectives from each family member, allowing practitioners to become acquainted with the lived experience of everyone involved. The reflective questions allow readers to become actively engaged to maximise their knowledge and understanding, and to better contextualize what the dementia experience feels like for family and friends.

With its focus on the all-important lived experience of the whole family during the diagnostic process and beyond, this is essential reading for any practitioner working with people with dementia.

The Family Experience of Dementia is a useful, informative and thoughtful addition to the literature on the lived experience of dementia. There is a highly relevant focus on how dementia is experienced by the person themselves, their family and people close to them. Each chapter has a specific focus on the journey of dementia, from first recognising something has changed, through diagnosis and getting on with life after diagnosis for the person experiencing dementia and those around them as a shared experience. There is also an informative thread on the particular aspects of how this can be experienced in the presence of young onset dementia. There are useful suggested reflective tasks and structured activities for individuals and for groups, which will benefit students, professionals, trainers and educators in this field. -- Dr Richard Clibbens, Nurse Consultant, PhD, MMedSci, Dip Soc, Registered Nurse (Mental Health)/ Registered Nurse (Adult)
This comprehensive workbook focuses on the realities of the lived experience of people with dementia. It gives hope and inspiration, and the authors follow the journey from seeking a diagnosis of dementia towards living as best you can despite the condition. -- Christine Bryden, author * Dancing with Dementia: My Story of Living Positively with Dementia *

Jack Morris is a Retired University Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of Leeds, as well as a registered mental nurse with over 40 years of experience. He lives in York.

Gary Morris is Programme leader of the BSc Nursing (Mental Health) programme at the University of Leeds. He is a registered mental nurse and nurse teacher with over 30 years of experience. He lives in Shipley, West Yorkshire.