found to differ from other data sets in having
lower education levels, more males, higher
MMSE scores, and fewer dementia diagnoses.
significant proportion of clients being self-
referred, and many of these were diagnosed
with cognitive impairment. These findings
suggest that nurse-led clinics with open referral
policies may overcome some of the barriers
to early diagnosis for people with cognitive
impairment and their family and/or carers.
mEaNiNg iN tHE FaCE OF lOss.
research currently being undertaken as part of
a PhD. The research is a small scale, qualitative
study exploring the subjective experiences of
younger people with Alzheimer's disease using
narrative inquiry methodology.
the field of loss and grief, the researcher
has focused on the changes and losses
encountered in the course of the younger
person's illness and the impact of those
losses. Linked to these broad themes is an
interest in the way participants find meaning
through the construction of personal narratives
that help them to make sense of their illness
experience. This draws on Neimeyer's (2000)
notion that when people encounter loss, they
`re-write' their life stories in order to construct
a more coherent sense of self which is able to
assimilate changes that come with loss.
narratives of two participants, highlighting
has identified from the interview data. These
themes include the impact of the illness on the
person's sense of self, the way participants
have found meaning in their illness experience,
what has helped individuals cope day to
day and the impact of relationships on the
interviewee's experience of Dementia.
reconstruction and the experience of loss.
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association.
Chair, Australian Guardianship and
Administration Council, and President
Guardianship and Administration Board,
Tasmania
· Is informal detention in a secure dementia
necessary evil' or an `unlawful deprivation
of liberty?
necessary for compliance with other laws
and duties or is it an `arbitrary deprivation of
property'?
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, those questions are likely to be
played out in our Courts in the near future,
because no sustainable legislative response
has yet been developed.