Bookshop: Palliative care in care homes and dementia

If you buy from the Bookshop at St Christopher's, you are donating to our work.

The following books are available from the St Christopher's bookshop. For further information and details please contact the Librarian, St Christopher's Hospice.

Downs M, Bowers B (eds)

Excellence in dementia care. Research into practice                         

Mc Graw Hill 2008
£29.99

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to developing skills in working with people with dementia.  It is divided into four sections 1)principles and perspectives 2)knowledge and skills for supporting people with dementia 3)journeys through dementia care(examines a variety of settings where care takes place) and 4)embedding  excellence in dementia care.  Each chapter starts with learning objectives and finishes with a section on further information and an extensive list of references.

Hockley J, Clark D (eds)

Palliative care for older people in care homes

Open University Press 2002
£24.99

This provides chapters from a wide-ranging group of authors on psychosocial aspects of care in care homes.  It includes a chapter on dementia care and examples of other chapters include assessment of need in care homes, loss and change, spiritual care, the role of doctors in care homes in the Netherlands, ethics, looking after people at the time of death.

James O

Contented dementia

Vermillion 2008
£12.99

This book is about a method of assisting people with dementia and their carers to maximise their current cognitive abilities through  understanding their previous life experience.  This acts as an aid to understand many of the reasons for their current behaviour.  It is easy to read and provides a wealth of positive ideas on communication skills with people with dementia

Pace P, Treloar A and Scott S 

Dementia - From advanced disease to bereavement

Oxford University Press 2011
£37.50

This is an invaluable book for any doctor, nurse or other health professional who needs knowledge and practical advice on how to care holistically for people with advanced dementia.

It covers the principles and assessment of physical symptoms, including pain control as well as mental distress and psychobehavioural problems. It also addresses various other pertinent issues such as communication challenges, spiritual care, mental capacity, the family and carer perspectives, financial issues, the terminal phase and bereavement. It is prefixed by an authoritative list of abbreviations related to the text and the appendices include details of organisations concerned with dementia in various ways, drug interactions and opioid dose equivalents.

The book has been reviewed in Inside Palliative Care (2011 volume 17 p19) by Celia Stamper, an Admiral Nurse.

Reddall C

Palliative care for care homes

Radcliffe 2009
£19.99

This book provides an excellent introduction to the principles and practice of palliative care for staff working in care homes.  In addition there is extensive coverage of areas of physical care such as constipation, fatigue, mouth problems, breathlessness, pain, acute medical events.  Advance care planning, issues at the time of death and care pathways are other topics covered in a clear style, often in the form of bullet points

Rio R

Connecting through music with people with dementia

Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2009
£14.99

This short book provides helpful suggestions for helping people with dementia by using music as a therapeutic tool. Chapters include All you need to know about music, singing and choosing songs, making a connection, choice of particular music, memory and associations, songs to use.  It finishes with a chapter on caring for oneself as a carer. 

Schweitzer P, Bruce E.

Remembering yesterday, caring today

Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2008
£19.99

This provides information for successful development of reminiscence work in various care settings. It is based on work in Bradford. Chapters include reminiscence skills and methods, a programme and an approach to organising a reminiscence group, training and suggested topics for such groups( including suggestions on how to develop sessions on particular  topics). It finishes with a set of templates for documentation of the work.

Small N, Froggatt K, Downs M

Living and dying with dementia

Oxford University Press 2007
£32.99

The authors provide a thoughtfully grounded philosophy of palliative care in the context of dementia. For both illustrating and developing their perspective, they include a range of personal accounts, develop a person-centred approach to care, confront challenges while also presenting examples of good practice from across the world and consider what a good death with dementia might look like.  It also discusses issues of autonomy and how they can be addressed in the context of dementia care.

Further references are available from the bookshop and library at St Christopher’s Hospice. In the bookshop for example, of particular interest to care homes and those with an interest in dementia would be St Christopher’s booklet on advanced care planning, our competencies document for those involved in palliative care at a generalist level and Watson M (ed) Oxford handbook of palliative care (excellent as a key resource on guidelines on symptoms in palliative care) .  A guide to the GSF is in the book by Keri Thomas Caring for the dying at home. Companions on the journey.