Validation therapy was developed by Naomi Feil for older people with cognitive impairments and dementia. Feil's own approach classifies individuals with cognitive impairment as having one of four stages in a continuum of dementia. These stages are:
The basic principle of the therapy is the concept of validation or the reciprocated communication of respect which communicates that the other's opinions are acknowledged, respected, heard, and (regardless whether or not the listener actually agrees with the content), they are being treated with genuine respect as a legitimate expression of their feelings, rather than marginalized or dismissed.
Validation therapy is contrasted with reality orientation, in which the caregivers regularly remind people about their current situation (e.g., that they live in a nursing home now).[1] It gave rise to an approach to advanced dementia called therapeutic deception, in which caregivers actively lie to protect people from re-learning distressing facts that they will be unable to remember from one day to the next (e.g., by saying that a deceased family member is sleeping right now, rather than telling them repeatedly that the loved one died).[2]
There is insufficient scientific evidence to determine whether validation therapy reduces any of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.[3]
Validation therapy improves job satisfaction and reduces stress for professional caregivers.[4]
See also
edit- Hogeweyk, a dementia facility designed to mimic everyday life
References
edit- ^ "Chapter 9. Some Social and Ethical Implications of Dementia (RRS)", Aging in Today's World, Berghahn Books, pp. 193–213, 2022-12-31, doi:10.1515/9781782387244-010, ISBN 978-1-78238-724-4, retrieved 2024-06-09
- ^ Jauhar, Sandeep (2023-04-07). "Opinion | When My Father Got Alzheimer's, I Had to Learn to Lie to Him". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ^ Cai, Yan; Li, Liyu; Xu, Chang; Wang, Zhiwen (August 2020). "The Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Interventions on Apathy in Patients With Dementia: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews". Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 17 (4): 311–318. doi:10.1111/wvn.12459. ISSN 1545-102X.
- ^ Sánchez-Martínez, Iván; Vilar, Raül; Irujo, Javier; Ulsamer, Duna; Cano, Dolors; Casaca Soares, Celia; Acevedo, Ángel; Jerez-Roig, Javier; Celdrán, Montserrat (2020-12-29). "Effectiveness of the Validation Method in Work Satisfaction and Motivation of Nursing Home Care Professionals: A Literature Review". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (1): 201. doi:10.3390/ijerph18010201. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 7796077. PMID 33383940.
Further research
edit- Feil, Naomi (May 1992). "Validation therapy". Geriatric Nursing. 13 (3): 129–133. doi:10.1016/S0197-4572(07)81021-4.
External links
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