Validation therapy with late-onset dementia populations

This chapter presents the background, theory base, assumptions and implementation of validation therapy with late-onset dementia populations. The interrelationship of physical losses with developmental coping techniques is also discussed. When recent memory, mobility and sensory acuity fail, the very old disoriented person ‘restores’ the past in an attempt to find safety and comfort in an increasingly estranged environment, and in order to resolve their life. The validation worker empathizes with the disoriented person, acknowledging the meaning behind the behaviours and works with the emotional content of communication when the factual content is not clear. The validation approach can be used on a one-to-one basis and/or in a group setting. The specific one-to-one methods for the working with the four stages of disorientation are presented in this chapter.