The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias

Since the 1980s, the Validation method has been recognized worldwide as a reliable and effective approach used by care staff and families to communicate with people experiencing memory loss and disorientation. Put into practice, it can relieve distress and confusion, promote dignity, improve engagement, and reduce conflicts.

This easy-to-read book explains the essential principles and practices of Validation and illustrates them with compelling stories and photos. When a person’s actions or expressions seem inexplicable, the Validation method is a tool to bridge the gap and connect with that person’s reality. Care providers gain powerful tools for improving lives by focusing on the social and psychological needs of the person experiencing dementia.

Through case studies presented by a variety of practitioners, see how Validation works in different care settings. Also in this revised edition, learn how to:

• Choose the best strategies to use for each situation or phase
• Use empathy and compassion to build trusting relationships with residents
• Move beyond facts to relieve hidden sources of stress, fear, and anger
• Interpret nonverbal cues to promote better engagement

This resource is essential for professionals in all settings serving adults with memory loss. The Validation method empowers care partners to achieve surprising results and connections—in all manner of circumstances. Enjoy the many benefits of breaking through dementia to touch the true lives within.

Benefits of Validation:

• Residents express less anger and anxiety
• Use of antipsychotic medications declines
• Improved communication produces increased engagement and feelings of self-worth
• Residents often exhibit more flexibility and strength in their movements
• Staff members feel better prepared to handle difficult situations
• Work-related stress and burnout diminish
• Families experience more joy in their relationships with loved ones

Naomi Feil, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., is the Executive Director of the Validation Training Institute, in Cleveland, Ohio. She is the creator of Validation, currently recognized throughout the world as a state-of-the-art therapy for older people diagnosed as having Alzheimerâ??s dementia or related disorders. Ms. Feil earned her masterâ??s degree of social work from Columbia University and studied at the New School for Social Research, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Michigan. In 1963, she became dissatisfied with traditional therapies for older people with dementia and began to develop her own methods for helping older people cope with the disorientation that is sometimes part of the aging process. In addition to her earlier book on Validation, Ms. Feil has published numerous journal articles and has produced nine award-winning films on Validation. The first edition of The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with â??Alzheimerâ??s Type Dementiaâ? has sold 40,000 copies. She is internationally recognized for her work with older people and is one of the most sought-after trainers in the field. More than 30,000 facilities in the United States of America, Canada, Europe, and Australia have adopted Validation, and nearly 90,000 professional and family caregivers have attended her workshops in North America, Australia, and Europe. There are 16 Validation centers that teach Validation certification courses in 11 countries. In Switzerland, every agency that serves older people uses Validation.

Vicki de Klerk-Rubin, R.N., M.B.A., is the European manager of the Validation Training Institute and a certified Validation Master. She is the co-author of the 1992 revision of Validation: The Feil Method and the 2nd edition of The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with "Alzheimer's-Type Dementia." Ms. de Klerk-Rubin holds a bachelor of fine arts from Boston University and a master's of business administration from Fordham University, and is a Dutch-trained registered nurse. Since 1989, she has given Validation workshops, lectures, and training programs in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States of America. She also has worked in numerous nursing facilities in Amsterdam, leading Validation groups and training staff. Ms. de Klerk-Rubin, a native New Yorker, is married to a Dutch diplomat and has 2 daughters who were born in Vienna, Austria. Together they have spent the last 20 years living in Amsterdam, Vienna, Bonn, and The Hague.