ABSTRACT
The way we think about dementia has undergone signi®cant changes in recent years. There is a new emphasis on living with, and managing, the effects of dementia, in order to maintain and support well-being and quality of life. This emphasis re¯ects the aims of rehabilitation and has relevance right across the spectrum of dementia severity. Rehabilitation has the potential to contribute to quality of life for people with dementia and their families. Because neuropsychological change is central to dementia, a neuropsychological focus is important when considering rehabilitation for people with dementia. At the same time, dementia is about much more than neuropsychological change, and rehabilitation for people with dementia should take account of the whole person, with an understanding of subjective experience and needs. In this book, I consider what we know about the experience of dementia at a neuropsychological and also at a psychosocial level, and I attempt to integrate these elements to provide a comprehensive and holistic framework for neuropsychological rehabilitation in this context.
