ABSTRACT
Dementia is a collective term given to a number of conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. These conditions vary and a significant opportunity for further individualised care is often lost by reliance upon vague diagnostic criteria. The holistic model, like Kitwood's, challenged the status quo and attempted to place the person with dementia in the context of their experienced life - here and now - by understanding and accounting for their history and then placing them within the social and built environments. Much hailed as being the saviour of dementia care, the person-centred model is facing tough times trying to bind theory with real day-to-day practice. In essence, the person-centred movement hinges on the tenet of personhood, and it is believed that the underlying pathology and the person's complete history along with present care regime create the dementia reaction.
