Review of family therapy and dementia: twenty-five years on

Abstract

Although the literature on family therapy and dementia has grown over the past 25 years and suggests potentially useful roles for therapy, a number of challenges exist in terms of context, family, and therapy itself. There is a need for further research, particularly into the following fields: How to evaluate the success of therapy; how to ensure treatment integrity; how to make techniques from family therapy available more widely; and how to train the health and social care workforce in working with families.

Carer insights into self‐harm in the very old: A qualitative study

“…21 Further, narrative approaches, for both carers and patients, may provide insight into relationships, help identify relational difficulties and inform problemsolving approaches, guiding interventions and potentially identifying risks. 22 Narrative production may also be therapeutic for carers of people with dementia, 23 a significant proportion of the present study, and assist service development. 24 Secondly, information from carers should be valued, not Communication problems emerged as key issues operating at various levels of the system, suggesting a role for techniques which facilitate understanding amongst family members and clinicians if not psychotherapy.…”

“…16 Family therapy may be under-utilized for older people, despite established associations between interpersonal conflict and mental distress. 16,22,25 Family approaches may highlight the potential roles of family members across generations and stages of the life cycle in understanding the cause and maintenance of problems, such as self-harm in the older person, as well as inform treatment. 16,25 Benbow and Sharman 22 suggest a pyramid starting with family therapy techniques, progressing to formal family therapy in dementia practice, depending on need.…”

“…Once intense psychological responses are understood, addressed, and attenuated, hitherto helpless and powerless carers can be better engaged by health professionals instilling hope 21. Further, narrative approaches, for both carers and patients, may provide insight into relationships, help identify relational difficulties and inform problemsolving approaches, guiding interventions and potentially identifying risks 22. Narrative production may also be therapeutic for carers of people with dementia, 23 a significant proportion of the present study, and assist service development 24.…”

Individual and group psychotherapy with people diagnosed with dementia: a systematic review of the literature

“…Consequently, we excluded Art and Music therapy (as these did not focus primarily on talking) as well as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, Cognitive Rehabilitation, Life Review and Reminiscence Therapy (as these interventions do not meet the BACP criteria of explicitly aiming to change thinking or behaviour). Family or couples therapies were also excluded as we wished to focus on change at the individual level (see Benbow and Sharman (2014) for a recent review of this literature). Similarly, the literature on support groups for people with dementia has also been reviewed recently by Toms et al (2015) and by Leung et al (2015).…”

Neurocognitive Impairment: Addressing Couple and Family Challenges

“…The broader relational impact for couples and families is considerable and is well documented (Fisher & Lieberman, ). Despite the expanded use of family therapy with dementia (Benbow & Sharman, ; Boss, ), a broad family systems approach with attention to family processes over time is vastly underutilized.…”