What is dementia? How should we organize dementia care? This comprehensive book critically examines the main approaches to understanding dementia bio-medical, social-psychological, and socio-gerontological and the main principles and ideologies of care. Key Features Provides clarity on the gap between the utopian aspirations of care and the reality of care Opens up a series of questions about knowledge and treatment of dementia Argues for a transition from positions that place emphasis upon the individual or particular care services to the social, cultural, and economic context