Partnering for care: the evidence and the expert

Evidence supports the maintenance of self-awareness in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the individuals' ability to identify their own needs. The need for individualized, person-centered programming may be met only if the perceptions of the individuals with AD are taken into account and valued. There is strong support for individuals with AD to be involved in developing their plan of care. Plans should include supportive and educational programs, individualized to the person's self-identified needs. Plans must also take into account preserved self-awareness and address preservation of self-esteem, maintenance of abilities, management of behavioral symptoms including depression, and health promotion. Second author Richard Taylor, who has dementia, noted the absence of discussion on this joint planning in most of the AD literature. As he says, it omits the most important person, the person with dementia.