Peter la Cour – författare

Understanding Existential Health for Dementia Care is a groundbreaking book that describes how existential health can enrich and expand bio-psycho-social approaches to dementia care, recognizing that well-being extends beyond physical, neurological, and cognitive symptoms. This book equips professionals, clinicians, and caregivers to integrate existential dimensions into person-centered care, emphasizing the role of meaning in life and emotional connection for dealing with illness and suffering.

Beginning with an introduction to the concept of existential health, the book connects this to an overall understanding of health related to dementia care. Core themes include the coincidence of suffering and meaning, fear of dementia, challenges to personhood, and multicultural perspectives. The book then provides an overview of how existential health can enhance person-centered care, addressing different types of dementia, neurological changes, emotional factors, and daily life functioning.The final section provides examples of existential support, including tools for meaningful conversations and existential exploration. The last chapter weaves together the book’s thematic threads, highlighting how past experiences contribute to present sense of meaning, identity, and connectedness in people with dementia.

It is valuable reading for professionals in dementia care—nurses, psychologists, doctors, and chaplains—as well as for caregivers seeking inspiration and students in medicine, nursing, psychology, theology, and social work.

Understanding Existential Health for Dementia Care is a groundbreaking book that describes how existential health can enrich and expand bio-psycho-social approaches to dementia care, recognizing that well-being extends beyond physical, neurological, and cognitive symptoms. This book equips professionals, clinicians, and caregivers to integrate existential dimensions into person-centered care, emphasizing the role of meaning in life and emotional connection for dealing with illness and suffering.

Beginning with an introduction to the concept of existential health, the book connects this to an overall understanding of health related to dementia care. Core themes include the coincidence of suffering and meaning, fear of dementia, challenges to personhood, and multicultural perspectives. The book then provides an overview of how existential health can enhance person-centered care, addressing different types of dementia, neurological changes, emotional factors, and daily life functioning.The final section provides examples of existential support, including tools for meaningful conversations and existential exploration. The last chapter weaves together the book’s thematic threads, highlighting how past experiences contribute to present sense of meaning, identity, and connectedness in people with dementia.

It is valuable reading for professionals in dementia care—nurses, psychologists, doctors, and chaplains—as well as for caregivers seeking inspiration and students in medicine, nursing, psychology, theology, and social work.

Introducing Existential Health unfolds this evolving concept and places it in the context of common understandings of health. It presents existential health as a vital dimension in understanding human well-being, complementing the traditional biopsychosocial model. It critiques reductionist and mechanistic views of health and showcases a new four- dimensional model in healthcare practice and design that integrates biological, psychological, social, and existential dimensions. Presented as a valid alternative to the biopsychosocial model, it provides modern system thinking and a holistic understanding centred around meaning and the first- person perspective to give a voice to intersectional discourses and encourage equality in health.

The book traces the historical evolution of health understandings, highlighting the gaps in addressing subjective and existential perspectives. It examines existential health through various lenses, including meaning- making, subjective experiences, and empirical correlations with other dimensions of health. Practical applications are discussed, emphasising the role of existential health in prevention, chronic disease management, and end-of-life care. The book also advocates for educational reforms to include training in existential health approaches and holistic care. By enriching the language and frameworks for existential health, this book aims to inspire a cultural shift in healthcare towards a more integrative and person-centred paradigm.

The book is intended for all health professionals interested in the quality of healthcare in modern society and for health education. The models presented in the book are of a heuristic nature, suitable for reflection, discussion, and teaching about health. It is also valuable reading for researchers in academic health professions and those in the development of health politics, searching for arguments and stepping stones for a more holistic health perspective.

Introducing Existential Health unfolds this evolving concept and places it in the context of common understandings of health. It presents existential health as a vital dimension in understanding human well-being, complementing the traditional biopsychosocial model. It critiques reductionist and mechanistic views of health and showcases a new four- dimensional model in healthcare practice and design that integrates biological, psychological, social, and existential dimensions. Presented as a valid alternative to the biopsychosocial model, it provides modern system thinking and a holistic understanding centred around meaning and the first- person perspective to give a voice to intersectional discourses and encourage equality in health.

The book traces the historical evolution of health understandings, highlighting the gaps in addressing subjective and existential perspectives. It examines existential health through various lenses, including meaning- making, subjective experiences, and empirical correlations with other dimensions of health. Practical applications are discussed, emphasising the role of existential health in prevention, chronic disease management, and end-of-life care. The book also advocates for educational reforms to include training in existential health approaches and holistic care. By enriching the language and frameworks for existential health, this book aims to inspire a cultural shift in healthcare towards a more integrative and person-centred paradigm.

The book is intended for all health professionals interested in the quality of healthcare in modern society and for health education. The models presented in the book are of a heuristic nature, suitable for reflection, discussion, and teaching about health. It is also valuable reading for researchers in academic health professions and those in the development of health politics, searching for arguments and stepping stones for a more holistic health perspective.