Written by a Palliative Care Physician this book argues that dementia affects and involves not only individuals with a dementia diagnosis but the networks of people close to and/or caring for that individual. The book encourages us to consider dementia not as the condition of an isolated individual but as a process of change within a social and relational system. Dementia challenges deeply held values of autonomy, individualism, independence, consistency and ideas of personhood. Rather than focus on the question of a cure for dementia, Chapman investigates how it is possible for networks of people to understand and learn from the changes that the arrival of dementia in their midst bring about. Chapman gives important historical, social, medical and philosophical context to the medicalised view of dementia that prevails today. He shows that dementia has had and can have many meanings and can provide many opportunties for rethinking deeply held assumptions. The book is written for a wide public and will be an important resource for those who belong to the networks of family and carers who work with people directly touched by dementia and for dementia sufferers themselves.
Dr Michael Chapman is a Palliative Care Physician and the Director of Palliative Care at Canberra Hospital. His research into the ethics and practice of end of life care has been widely published.
Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Mirranda is an artist living and working on Wurundjeri country/Melbourne, Australia. Graduating from an Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts (North Adelaide School of Art, 1995) and a Bachelor of Multimedia Design (Swinburne University of Technology, 2005), she has more than twenty years of experience working between fine arts, printmaking, independent and commercial animation, education, illustration and graphic story telling. Teaching herself stop motion animation with a Super 8 camera in 1996 led to her animated creations and music video work screening in animation festivals throughout Europe and the Asia–Pacific. She worked as an ‘inbetweener’ at DisneyToon Studios Australia and continues to freelance in 2D animation production.
* Dementia is one of the main challenges of our times.
* This book provides important new perspectives for people, whether dementia sufferers, their carers and others, for understanding dementia as a learning opportunity for networks of people, as much as it may be regarded as an individual catastrophe.
* The book contains the stories of real people and their networks of carers, based in the authors extensive research and interviews.
* Rethinking Dementia is written with both the general public and professionals in mind. Human stories and theoretical frameworks are presented in accessible language.
