ABSTRACT
Handbook of Group Activities for Impaired Older Adults is indeed a long title. Perhaps the one part of this title that is unclear is the meaning of the word impaired. Specifically, when we talk of “impaired” we are referring to any person who is suffering from a significant physical, emotional, or mental loss of ability to function normally. A wide variety of diseases, disorders, and conditions fit into this category, including persons diagnosed as having Organic Brain Syndrome, Alzheimer’s Disease, various dementias, Parkinson’s Disease, Korsakoff’s Disease, amnestic syndromes, strokes, head traumas, tumors, depression, deafness, and blindness. These older adults, who fit into the above categories, are those with whom we have worked and for whom these activities have been developed. We are not saying that individuals must fit into one or more of the above categories in order for this book to be useful. The extent to which this book can be utilized with various groups can only be realized by those of you who are willing to “give it a try.”
