“In Assessment Scales for Advanced Dementia Volicer and Hurley present a masterly compilation of research scales that have been developed, or have served, their extensive research programme in the field of advanced dementia. The care of people with advanced dementia remains an under-researched area and Volicer and Hurley were among the first to chart unmapped territory. The steadfast purpose of their research programme has been to promote high quality clinical care for people with advanced dementia. This book provides inspiration and a toolkit to support further research and service development improving the care of this most vulnerable group of people. Above all, it is a practical guide to enable potential users to understand what assessment scale will best serve their purpose. The best known scale from this collection is PAINAD which is the most widely used observational behavioural pain assessment scale in the world for all the reasons that make the assessment scales in this book so valuable. PAINAD has good psychometric properties and is also simple and user-friendly, which means that it is clinically useful. These qualities of integrity, clarity and simplicity characterise all the assessment scales presented here. The assessment scales range widely; from a measurement of the severity of dementia, to measuring ‘Comfort Assessment in Dying with Dementia’, and hitherto neglected areas such as assessing the ‘Quality of Family Visits with Residents who have Dementia’. The need to develop a new research scale sometimes arises from a new understanding of an underlying concept, such as separating agitation and aggression, behaviours which are frequently ‘lumped together’ as a single concept. In teasing out a definition of agitation which does not overlap with ‘aggression’ or ‘rejection of care’, the authors clarify fundamental aspects of the understanding of the behaviours observed in people with advanced dementia who are unable to communicate. Clarifying the complex concept of agitation is important for research and for making decisions that guide clinical care. The use of language affects how behaviour is seen and interpreted by families and healthcare workers. This book is a treasure trove for researchers and clinicians seeking to learn how to measure and evaluate the new approaches and interventions that are so desperately needed to relieve suffering.” —Min Stacpoole Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care for People with Dementia St Christopher’s Hospice, United Kingdom
