Dementia Caregivers Share Their Stories


Book Description

Replete with the powerful words of experienced caregivers, Dementia Caregivers Share Their Stories is an essential guidebook for anyone who must attend to the needs of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. In these pages, members of caregivers' support groups - representing twenty-six families and a variety of professions and income levels - speak candidly about the challenges they have faced at every step in the caregiving process, from recognizing early symptoms of dementia to dealing with its advanced stages. Highlighting the ingenuity and resourcefulness of caregivers, the book brims with inspirational stories, practical advice, and creative approaches to problem-solving. Among the issues addressed are: Becoming a caregiver, whether for a spouse or parent Dealing with the personality changes caused by dementia, from anxiety and paranoia to hallucinations and impulsive behavior Keeping dementia sufferers meaningfully involved in life Handling the emotions and stresses of caregiving Seeking help through support groups and other sources, including medical professionals, clergy, and other family members The authors, who have both been caregivers themselves, augment their interviewees' stories with connective commentary and their own personal stories. A useful resource section is included to refer readers to associations and help-lines.




I Didn’t Sign up for This . . .


Book Description

Brutally honest about her feelings when life dealt her husband the greatest setback one can imagine—a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s—Mary Monroe lamented, “I didn’t sign up for this!” All her dreams of living her “golden years” with her husband of forty years disappeared, and a new “normal” had to be established. After living in a caregiving role for over six years, Monroe shares the lessons and tips she learned to survive—and even thrive—as a caregiver to a loved one with dementia. You’ll enjoy the frank and revealing way Monroe looks at every aspect of being a caregiver, even approaching “taboo topics,” rarely discussed. Her tips, tricks, and strategies will give you hope and encouragement to reflect and journal about your own journey, helping you make the best out of a situation no one would wish on their worst enemy!




Essential Strategies for the Dementia Caregiver


Book Description

ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR THE DEMENTIA CAREGIVER offers a fresh and practical approach to the challenges faced by wives, husbands, and adult children who care for loved ones with dementia. Using the 4 D's of Dementia Care - detach, document, diffuse, distract - caregivers can find solutions for behaviors ranging from shadowing to wandering to medication refusal. The PACE model emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the caregiver's well-being while navigating the dementia journey: P = Permission for Trial and Error, A = Acknowledge Their Reality, C = Compassionate Care, E = Empower Yourself.







You Are Not Alone (Even If You Think You Are)


Book Description

A caregiver of someone with dementia may say, "Who has time to sit and read?" You don't need much time to read You Are Not Alone (even if you think you are), a short book of personal stories about the journey of dementia care. Many caregivers of those with dementia feel overwhelmed from the struggles they face with the burdens of caregiving. They can feel alone and isolated. However, if they have ever shared their situation with another caregiver, they will find a common bond, as they will in this book. You Are Not Alone (even if you think you are) shares with the reader stories of caregivers for those suffering from dementia. The book offers insight and advice to help people realize the struggles, treasured moments, humor, and care throughout the journey of dementia. We are living longer. Dementia care is growing. The Alzheimer's Association states: "In 2013, 15.5 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care. All caregivers of people with Alzheimer's - both women and men - face a devastating toll. Due to the physical and emotional burden of caregiving, Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers had $9.3 billion in additional health care costs of their own in 2013. Nearly 60 percent of Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high, and more than one-third report symptoms of depression." Know you are not alone in this journey, by reading this short book, You Are Not Alone (even if you think you are).




A Loving Approach to Dementia Care


Book Description

An encouraging and compassionate guide for dementia caregivers. Caring for someone with dementia means devotedly and patiently doing a hundred little things each day. But few care providers are trained to meet the challenges of dementia—despite the fact that millions of people will struggle with it as they grow older. In A Loving Approach to Dementia Care, Laura Wayman, who is known professionally as the Dementia Whisperer, offers practical, compassionate advice on overcoming caregiving obstacles and maintaining meaningful relationships with loved ones who have dementia and memory loss. In this thoroughly revised third edition, Wayman includes • answers to common caregiver questions, such as "What is dementia?" • a detailed explanation of how to cope with and care for a spouse with dementia symptoms, including advice about communication • a new chapter on caring for someone who has dementia along with other health problems • recommendations about how to handle challenging situations and behaviors • dementia-aware activities that work for both family caregivers and professional care staff • fresh caregiving insights that emphasize the importance of taking time to care for oneself Each chapter contains two sections—"Lessons Learned" and "Perceptions and Approaches"—which provide details about how readers can apply lessons from the stories Wayman tells to their own caregiving practice. Providing support for the numerous difficulties and disruptions that all caregivers face along the way, A Loving Approach to Dementia Care is an empathetic guide filled with respect, calm, and creativity. It will leave readers feeling empowered and inspired.




I Didnt Sign Up for This


Book Description

Brutally honest about her feelings when life dealt her husband the greatest setback one can imagine-a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's-Mary Monroe lamented, "I didn't sign up for this!" All her dreams of living her "golden years" with her husband of forty years disappeared, and a new "normal" had to be established. After living in a caregiving role for over six years, Monroe shares the lessons and tips she learned to survive-and even thrive-as a caregiver to a loved one with dementia. You'll enjoy the frank and revealing way Monroe looks at every aspect of being a caregiver, even approaching "taboo topics," rarely discussed. Her tips, tricks, and strategies will give you hope and encouragement to reflect and journal about your own journey, helping you make the best out of a situation no one would wish on their worst enemy!




Caregiving Both Ways


Book Description

Overcome the Language Barrier of Dementia When a parent, spouse, sibling, or loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, it can be difficult to know what to do. Your day can spiral into a never-ending series of tasks and attempts to communicate that leave you both frustrated. Instead of burning out, discover a new approach. When your loved one behaves differently than they used to, they’re just communicating in a new way. As caregivers, the most important thing we can do is learn that new language. Navigate the caregiving relationship: In Caregiving Both Ways, Molly Wisniewski offers essential advice for getting to know your loved one and yourself during this new phase of life. Learn to balance your priorities, avoid burning out, and honor self-care. Molly will teach you how to navigate the difficult moments with techniques she’s mastered from years of experience working with people with dementia. Prepare for each stage of care: Caregiving Both Ways is divided into two parts. First, learn how to care for your loved one with dementia and prioritize your new role as caregiver. Next, discover how to build a strong support system with help from professional caregivers and how to prepare for end-of-life care. In Caregiving Both Ways, you’ll find worksheets, exercises, and essential tips for smart, empathetic caregiving. You'll learn how to: • Use non-medical interventions to reduce anxiety • Prioritize and make time for your own care and mental health • Identify triggers that may cause confusion in your loved one • Handle difficult medical decisions • Provide support and validation through all stages of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia Readers who turned to Alzheimer’s books like The 36-Hour Day, When Reasoning No Longer Works, and Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey will love the compassionate approach of Caregiving Both Ways.




Enduring


Book Description

One wife’s story of caring for her husband with dementia—and the lessons for caregivers she learned along the way.After the death of her husband, author Donna Larkin realized that she—and the other women in her dementia caregivers’ support group—had accumulated invaluable strategies and tools that might be helpful for others recently finding themselves in a similar situation. In Enduring: A Story of Love, Dementia, and Lessons Learned, Larkin shares a chronology of her husband’s Alzheimer’s disease and her caregiving approaches, including those gleaned from her support-group friends and experts she met along the way.An honest, loving, and unflinching portrait of caregiving, Enduring draws on nine years’ worth of notes, emails, and journal pages written while full-time caregiving at home and while later helping to transition her husband into a memory-care facility. A chronicle of the couple’s journey from diagnosis to passing, her stories—with vulnerability, straight talk, and good humor—uniquely illustrate what it means to be a full-time caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.As Larkin and her husband faced down the realities of his condition, a problem-solving approach kept her focused on finding solutions where possible—while her heart kept her focused on the man she knew her husband to be and the love they still shared in the face of many obstacles. For anyone struggling with the realities of a loved one’s battle with dementia, Enduring is a reminder that you are not alone.




When Your Loved One Has Dementia


Book Description

The result is a guide that integrates the practicalities of caregiving with the human emotions that accompany it.