Validation is a practical way of communicating with and managing problem behavior in older adults with Alzheimer's-type dementia. It helps reduce stress, enhance dignity, and increase happiness. Since its inception in 1989, Validation has helped thousands of professional and family caregivers improve their relationships with residents and loved ones with dementia. Caregivers who use these techniques validate older adults' expressed feelings, rather than focusing on disorientation and confusion. In this Anniversary Edition of The Validation Breakthrough, you'll learn how to re-create relationships between confused older adults and their caregivers.
be caring and non-judgmental
understand and handle challenging behaviors
interpret non-verbal cues in a way that promotes communication
implement Validation in your own care setting through the experiences of Authorized Validation Organizations around the world
The Validation method is easy to learn and positive results can be seen in both caregivers and residents. Residents express less anger and anxiety, decreasing the need for chemical and physical restraints.
Residents communicate more and exhibit an increased sense of humor
Residents often move better and experience an improved sense of self-worth.
Staff members express a greater sense of fulfillment at work and feel better prepared for handling difficult situations.
Staff members demonstrate a higher level of camaraderie
Families visit more often.
The Validation Breakthrough is an essential resource for all settings providing dementia care including assisted living facilities, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, hospice, home health care, adult day services, family care settings, and more. About the authors: Naomi Feil Naomi Feil, M.S., A.C.S.W., is the developer of Validation. She was born in Munich in 1932, and grew up in the Montefiore Home for the Aged in Cleveland Ohio, where her father was the administrator and her mother, the head of the Social Service Department. After graduating with a Masters degree in Social Work from Columbia University in New York, she began working with the elderly. Between 1963 and 1980 Mrs. Feil developed Validation as a response to her dissatisfaction with traditional methods of working with the severely disoriented old-old people who were her clients. In 1982 she published her first book, Validation: The Feil Method, which was revised in 1992. Her second book, The Validation Breakthrough, was published in 1993, and updated and revised in 2012. Feil and her husband have made many films and videos about aging and Validation. Feil is the Executive Director of the Validation Training Institute and a popular speaker in North America and Europe. Since 1989 she has toured Europe 3 times a year offering workshops in Validation to participants in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, and Austria. Her books have been translated into French, Dutch, German, Italian, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Spanish and Japanese. Vicki de Klerk-Rubin Ms. De Klerk Works full-time as a Validation Master-Teacher and lecturer as well as Naomi Feil's manager in Europe. As European Manager, she was a founding member of the European Validation Association (1993) and assisted in the development of Authorized Validation Organizations in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. She taught the first formal Validation course in 1994 and since then has been training internationally, delivering certification courses at all levels. As AVO Coordinator for the Validation Training Institute, she has assisted in the development of Authorized Validation Organizations in the United States and written the AVO Guidelines. Ms de Klerk-Rubin, working with teams of Validation Teachers, has shepherded the development of standardized course curricula, levels of certification, quality guidelines and testing materials. She has been an advisor to the Validation Training Institute Board of Trustees since its inception and a member since 2009. She currently holds the dual positions of Board Secretary and AVO Coordinator. Ms de Klerk-Rubin received her BFA from Boston University (1978), an MBA from Fordham University (1983), and a Nursing degree from Hogeschool Holland, Amsterdam (1997). She has published numerous articles on Validation in Dutch and British magazines and co-authored the revisions of Naomi Feil's publications. Her book, Validation Techniques for Dementia Care: The Family Guide to Improving Communication (English edition 2008) has been published in German (2006), Japanese (2009) and Swedish (2010). --- from the publisher |
