New Approach to Dementia

This groundbreaking work specifically focuses on attention impairments of the dementias to improve both early recognition of dementia and clinical diagnosis as well as interventions and care.Unlike the majority of research that focuses on memory dysfunction, this volume examines the significant evidence supporting the existence of many types of attention-related changes/abnormalities at the early stages of the disease and throughout its progression. The book provides a brief overview of attention and its different types, and then explores what happens when these various aspects of attention are dysfunctional. It considers how attentional dysfunction is associated with various aetiologies of dementia, and how attentional change is experienced by people living with dementia and the impact this has upon everyday life and diagnosis. It looks at how attentional function is measured clinically and the present dichotomy between research evidence and clinical practice, and finally considers how the limitations in the public’s general understanding of attention lead to attention dysfunction being rarely reported as an early sign of dementia.With both scientific and clinical relevance, this book is essential for clinicians and researchers in ageing and dementia as well as students of neuropsychology/neurocognition, medicine and health and social care.

Andrea Tales (BSc. Hons, MSc (Oxon), PhD, DCR[T], FBPsS, FLSW) holds a Personal Chair in Neuropsychology and Dementia Research at Swansea University. Andrea has a particular interest in raising the public’s awareness of, and understanding in, many aspects of dementia-related research, and initiated this with her first book in ‘A New Approach to Dementia: Examining Sensory and Perceptual Impairment [? ref]. For almost exactly 30 years now, Andrea has examined many aspects of attention-related processing in cognitively healthy ageing, subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, vascular cognitive impairment and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research started with her PhD looking at pre-attentive visual processing in Alzheimer’s disease, and it now focuses on how such changes may affect real-life, and the importance of taking into consideration attention and sensory function when designing SMART and assistive technology for older adults and individuals living with cognitive impairment or dementia.Clive Thomas (DNursSci, RN (Mental Health), SPMHN, AFHEA) is Programme Manager for the Welsh Government’s Strategic Programme for Mental Health, helping to deliver its vision of open-access, recovery-focused services across Wales. A Specialist Practitioner in Community Mental Health Nursing, he brings a person-centred perspective shaped by years of working alongside people with mental health conditions and their families. His Professional Doctorate in Nursing Science at Swansea University focused on improving dementia care pathways in primary and community settings, with a particular interest in how technology can support earlier identification of changes to memory and attention. He has also contributed to academic research through a UKRI/Innovate UK-funded project that developed wearable technologies to support vulnerable people living independently at home. As a Fellow of the Bevan Commission, Clive champions prudent health innovation, applying systems thinking and co-design principles to reimagine services for the future. He is also an Associate Fellow of Advance HE and continues to develop his expertise in structured project management through Public Health Wales.Kimberley Littlemore (Kimberley Littlemore MA (Oxon), Dip Journ.) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, communication specialist, and Creative Director of eHealth Digital Media. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford University and City University, London, she spent over two decades at the BBC producing acclaimed documentaries on international development and health, including record-breaking Comic Relief broadcasts. Driven by a passion for impactful storytelling, Kimberley founded eHealth Digital Media, creating the “PocketMedic” film library—over 100 evidence-based short films commissioned by NHS networks to support self-management of chronic conditions. Her work has been recognised by academic and medical communities, including features in The Lancet Neurology and contrib