Abstract

Person-centred practices are a key way to provide the best possible care and support for older people and help them to be active and valued members of the community. Drawing on a wealth of experience of working with older people, the authors present the 6 essential person-centred practices.

Each of the practices is designed to support the individual and put what is important to and for the person at the forefront of their care. Each practice has been tailored so that older people can express more easily what does and does not work for them. By actively listening and making each person feel appreciated, the practices represent practical tools for frontline practitioners to form good relationships with people in their care. With supporting stories and full colour photographs to illustrate how person-centred thinking and practice is used in real-life settings, there are many examples to help practitioners to overcome challenges and to really implement positive, effective changes to care.

This practical book will be a valuable resource for care staff, social workers and healthcare workers who want to learn about person-centred practices to deliver best practice care and support.

Helen Sanderson is CEO of Helen Sanderson Associates and Director Emeritus of the International Community for Person-Centred Practices. She has been closely involved in the development of person-centred thinking and planning in the UK over the last 20 years, and has written extensively on person-centred thinking, planning, community building and Individual Service Funds. HSA were runners up with Borough Care in the National Dementia Awards 2012 in the innovation category.

Helen Bown is Head of Policy and Research at the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi). After 10 years working in the NHS, Helen then worked for the Health Advisory Service to set up and run their programme of service and thematic reviews focusing on older people. In 2001 she helped to set up and then lead the Older People's Programme at Kings College London, an independent development and research body working to improve services, experiences and life chances of older people. She has worked in and around public services for 25 years, and for most of this time has focused on delivering and improving services with and for older people.

Gill Bailey trained initially as a nurse and has worked with a range of providers and commissioning units across adult health and social care for over 25 years, and in the last ten 10 years this has focussed on supporting people living with dementia. She is a Dementia Care Mapper, has a diploma in Dementia Studies. She is currently working with providers to introduce person-centred practices in residential and homecare services for people living with dementia.