Validation therapy was developed by Naomi Feil for older people with cognitive impairments and dementia.
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.