Some 700,000 People in Britain are Thought to Suffer From Dementia, But How Should They be Cared for When Their Sense of Reality Starts to Ebb?

A new approach to looking after people with dementia is gaining support among some carers. Known as Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer's (Specal), its core principle is to agree with everything a dementia patient says and not question their version of reality.

The approach is used as a way of avoiding what professionals refer to as "reality confrontation", where sufferers become disorientated or frustrated when they are confronted on their beliefs. For Lizzie Griffiths, a care assistant at the Beth Ezra care home in Surrey, the method has had enormous benefits.

"In their minds they are somewhere else, so why argue with them," she says.

"I know it’s not true, I know it not going to happen, but they're happy. If they're happy there then leave them there."

But not all caring professionals are won over by the method.

Dr. Graham Stokes, head of mental health at Bupa Care Services, describes Specal as "therapeutic lying".

"What it is saying is lose somebody in a theme from their past and bring them contentment whilst they are in that theme," he say.

"That is collusion. It is a way of working... but it is just one weapon in the therapeutic armoury."

For more on this article, visit news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8205000/8205295.stm

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