Wilkinson, Heather

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     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of CaringCitation for published version:Wilkinson, H 2011, 'Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring' Ageing and Society, vol 31, pp.350-351., 10.1017/S0144686X10001133Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1017/S0144686X10001133Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Publisher final version (usually the publisher pdf)Published In:Ageing and SocietyPublisher Rights Statement:© Wilkinson, H. (2011). Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring. Ageing and Society, 31, 350-351doi: 10.1017/S0144686X10001133General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 20. Feb. 2015Ageing and Societyhttp://journals.cambridge.org/ASOAdditional services for Ageing and Society:Email alerts: Click hereSubscriptions: Click hereCommercial reprints: Click hereTerms of use : Click hereLucy Whitman (ed.), Telling Tales AboutDementia: Experiences of Caring, JessicaKingsley Publishers, London, 2010, 224 pp., pbk£14.99, ISBN 13: 978 84310 941 9.HEATHER WILKINSONAgeing and Society / Volume 31 / Issue 02 / February 2011, pp 350 - 351DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X10001133, Published online: 19 January 2011Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0144686X10001133How to cite this article:HEATHER WILKINSON (2011). Ageing and Society, 31, pp 350-351 doi:10.1017/S0144686X10001133Request Permissions : Click hereDownloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/ASO, IP address: 129.215.19.188 on 12 Dec 2013http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 12 Dec 2013 IP address: 129.215.19.188presented by transactive memory (people remembering together), conﬂictingaccounts and the unravelling of contributions from group interviews. He uses hisown transcripts to illustrate how to handle these diﬃcult issues. Finally, a reﬂectionby Pam Schweitzer on her 25 years of recording the memories of old Londonersand the re-creation of these reminiscences into plays and performances. Herpioneering work became known as Reminiscence Theatre. Over many years sheworked with indigenous Londoners and their memories of war and the intro-duction of the welfare state ; and then with a wide range of ‘minorities ’ – ethnic,religious, disabled and disaﬀected. The core of this remarkable work has been itscapacity to give voice to the unheard and dignity to those who felt un-regarded.For all its brevity this is a signiﬁcant volume and one from which gerontologicalresearchers can beneﬁt greatly. It should provide a spur to closer connectionsbetween two important research traditions.ReferencesLaslett, P. 1965. The World We Have Lost : England Before the Industrial Age. Methuen, London.Thompson, P. 1978. The Voice of the Past. Oxford University Press, Oxford.M A L C O L M J O H N S O NDepartment of Social and Policy Sciences,University of Bath, UKdoi:10.1017/S0144686X10001133Lucy Whitman (ed.), Telling Tales About Dementia : Experiences of Caring,Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 2010, 224 pp., pbk £14.99, ISBN13: 978 84310 941 9.Central to all our lives and our identities are ‘our stories ’, and what they mean tous. In this collection of stories of caring for a close partner, relative or friend withdementia there is a sharing of a wealth of experiences, both positive and negative.Such a sharing of stories through the use of narrative is important for a number ofreasons : stories can make explicit and bring to life key messages and experiences ;they allow us to share, explore and explain caring relationships ; and creating andsharing a narrative can be a beneﬁcial process in itself – the therapeutic eﬀect ofsharing.Telling Tales About Dementia contains 30 short but powerful chapters (includingone poem) divided across three sections with the headings ‘Living with Loss ’,‘Despatches from the Battleﬁeld ’ and ‘Keeping in Touch, Letting Go’. I felt thatthese section headings tended to echo the many negative experiences describedwithin each section, at the risk of losing some of the most positive experiences.Most frustratingly in the section on formal care (Despatches from the Battleﬁeld)it is these heartrendingly negative stories and examples that stay with the reader,despite somewonderful examples of good practice. That the balance of experiencesreﬂects negative experiences across the spectrum of ‘caring spaces ’ (acute care,respite care, care homes and so on) leaves us with an ongoing challenge in thecurrent climate of recession and austerity. I am reluctant to highlight any one350 Reviewshttp://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 12 Dec 2013 IP address: 129.215.19.188story over another. What is clear is that the voice and strength of the carer is acrucial part of the resistance to poor care and to the challenge to improve bothunderstanding and provision of care.One of the real strengths of the book is the diversity of relationshipsincluded – that we all care in some way: straight or gay, black or white, youngor old. Against this context of diverse relationships there are also some clearcommonalities. A strong theme across the stories is the insight given to theemotions and emotional work involved in a caring relationship. There is alsodeep acknowledgement of the caring journey itself – the challenges and rewards,the sadness and loss, but also the learning and giving that comes out clearlyfrom many stories. This book is very moving, not just in the sadness, but also inthe strength of the caring relationships – something we all hope for as individualsand that as a society we rely on.This book will speak to other carers who will empathise with or learn fromdiﬀerent chapters. However, the narratives across the chapters also provide stronglessons and experiences that both increase understanding and highlight key issuesfor a much wider audience – particularly for formal carers, service developers,policy makers, commissioners and anyone with an interest in improving theexperience of living with dementia for both the person and their close friends andfamily. Central to this is the importance of relationships in all their complexityand form: the book illustrates this fundamental importance beautifully.H E A T H E R W I L K I N S O NCentre for Research on Families and Relationships,School of Health in Social Science,University of Edinburgh, UKdoi:10.1017/S0144686X10001145Judith Phillips, Kristine Ajrouch and Sarah Hillcoat-Nalle´tamby, KeyConcepts in Social Gerontology, Sage Publications, London, 2010, 248 pp.,pbk £19.99, ISBN 13: 978 1 4129 2272 2.The phenomenon of an ageing society may sometimes come across as a productor outcome of contemporary Western society. However, in this book Phillips et al.point out that ‘new’ realities of old age and ageing ‘have been ever-present, buthave received minimal attention from social thinkers ’ (p. 122), suggesting that infact ‘gerontology is an ancient subject but a recent science ’ (p. 1). This ‘conciseencyclopaedia ’ on social gerontology captures in a brilliantly and scholarly waydiﬀerent theoretical and historical debates found within this multi-faceted anddynamic discipline. The book oﬀers an alternative way of thinking about ageing,laying out diﬀerent long-standing debates, and presenting the process of ageingthrough a kaleidoscope of social, political and economical layers, showing howthey inﬂuence each phase and turning point in the lifecourse.Fifty concepts are discussed in turn within this book, which together illustratethe multidisciplinarity of gerontology, and how the ﬂexibility of this subject is itsstrength. The authors demonstrate how social gerontology has the ability to bringtogether diﬀerent perspectives from a range of disciplines including social, bio-logical and psychological ; and the intersectionality between them. Reference isReviews 351

Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, School of Health in Social Science,

The World We Have Lost: England Before the Industrial Age.

Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring

HEATHER WILKINSON

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Ageing and Society

Lucy Whitman (ed.), Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 2010, 224 pp., pbk £14.99, ISBN 13: 978 84310 941 9.

Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring

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