Supporting Older People Using Attachment-Informed and Strengths-Based Approaches

1. Supporting Older People in a 'Strengths-Based' Way. 2. Introduction to Attachment Theory. 3. Working with the Whole Family. 4. What Makes a Good Life in Care? 5. Maintaining Connections and Interests. 6. Positive Risk-taking. 7. Supporting Loss and Preparing for End-of-Life. 8. Reflective Supervision and Staff Well-being.

This is a really important and timely book. It's essential that we inject the humanity back into our caring relationships, formal and informal. Too much attention is given to the architecture of care; rules regulations, protocols. Too little is done to support carers and care workers to foster the essential and deeply human relationships we'd like to see. Far to little understanding and recognition about how we as humans can be best engaged to bring our empathy, humanity and kindness to the fore. Blood and Guthrie draw on solid evidence to demonstrate why we have to change our culture around care, it's not about 'them' it's about all of 'us'. If we want care to be kind we have to make the system around it kind. Until we fully recognise the relational and human aspect to care we will continue to fail to create the conditions for kind of care we want for our loved ones and indeed ourselves. Bravo!