This paper describes a new technique for assessing "autobiographical" and "personal semantic" memory in amnesic patients and healthy controls. It provides evidence of the reliability and validity of the procedure, and reports an age-related temporal gradient in amnesic patients. The results are considered in terms of the severity, the rate of onset, and the duration of the amnesia; and a preliminary analysis is given of the findings in different diagnostic groups. The findings indicate that autobiographical and personal semantic memory show a consistent pattern of impairment, when a comparison is made which controls for the age of the memories and the subject's own past experience.

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Although we now have substantial knowledge about the nature of this disorder, scientific questions (e.g. regarding the underlying genetics) remain. More particularly, there is a dearth of appropriate long-term care facilities for these patients, given that empirical research has shown that good practice has beneficial effects.

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BackgroundEnabling people with dementia and carers to ‘live well’ with the condition is a key United Kingdom policy objective. The aim of this project is to identify what helps people to live well or makes it difficult to live well in the context of having dementia or caring for a person with dementia, and to understand what ‘living well’ means from the perspective of people with dementia and carers.Methods/DesignOver a two-year period, 1500 people with early-stage dementia throughout Great Britain will be recruited to the study, together with a carer wherever possible. All the participants will be visited at home initially and again 12 months and 24 months later. This will provide information about the way in which well-being, life satisfaction and quality of life are affected by social capitals, assets and resources, the challenges posed by dementia, and the ways in which people adjust to and cope with these challenges. A smaller group will be interviewed in more depth.DiscussionThe findings will lead to recommendations about what can be done by individuals, communities, health and social care practitioners, care providers and policy-makers to improve the likelihood of living well with dementia.