The Day Care Centre Le Civette in Florence enrols subjects with intermediate/severe entity of cognitive decline. With the aim to reduce the caregiver's burden, the staff applies emotion oriented therapy creating interest and pleasure in the subjects, so that they want to attend the structure every day. The assistance which includes adequate social psychology affects the progressive evolution of cognitive and behavioural decline. We stress the importance of the patient's role as subject in a relationship, and not as object of study, observation and measures. For instance, it has been underlined the importance of maintain a conversation alive even if meaning is lost: the pleasure of conversation can remain even if language gets damaged, so the feeling of exclusion is reduced to minimal levels.
Therefore, the ideal day care centre is the place where the attendee is evaluated not only for his defective symptoms, but also
as a person longing for attention and for appreciation.
Key words: dementia, day-care center
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