DEMENTIA DIARY: A Care Giver's Journal


Book Description

HARD COVER EDITION------WHAT'S IT LIKE to be the only son of a widowed mother who is rapidly sinking into the opaque fog of dementia, and who lives alone half a continent away? ROBERT TELL tells this tale with compassion and humor. DEMENTIA DIARY reads like fiction and covers the fifteen year period from his father's shocking death in a department store to his mother's 92nd birthday. It is meant to be a portable support group. If you have watched helplessly as your parent, spouse or friend's identity disappeared into the sinkhole of Alzheimer's Disease (or another dementia), this heart-wrenching memoir will touch you deeply




The Alzheimer’S Diary


Book Description

One who Forgets and One who is Forgotten One in eight over the age of sixty-five and one in three over the age of eighty will be diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease. In her memoir, author Joan Sutton narrates a moving account of her years as caregiver to her husband, noting that Alzheimers is a disease of the brain that is paid for with the currency of the heart. A member of the board of overseers of The Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation, she stresses the need to develop more effective treatment for the five million Americans currently diagnosed with this incurable disease, pointing out that for every patient there is a large circle of others also affected. Sutton offers practical advice for the care of the caregiver and the patient, and shares the pain that came as she watched pieces of her husbands self disappear. Following his death, after what Nancy Reagan described as the long goodbye, she writes candidly about coping with her new status as a widow and the aching loneliness of the heart that is the price paid for having known a great love. 100% of the authors royalties (20 to 40% of the purchase price) will benefit the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation/Canada. Cover design by John R. Lewis




Finding the Light in Dementia


Book Description

'Finding the Light in Dementia: a guide for families, friends and caregivers' is an essential book that explains common changes that can occur in those living with dementia. By offering valuable approaches, tips and suggestions interspersed with individuals' stories, the reader can learn to care for and maintain a connection with their loved one (care partner). Whether you're a spouse, partner, daughter, son, sibling, friend or even a parent caring for a loved one living with dementia, this book is for you. Finding the Light in Dementia will help give you more confidence to care by: Supporting you through your partner's diagnosis of dementia Helping you understand what your partner is experiencing Teaching you ways to communicate and connect with each other Helping you make subtle changes to your home to help your partner feel safe and content Introducing practical and creative ways to stimulate memories to help with day to day living Showing you how to create lifestories together Suggesting ways to keep your partner interested and engaged in meaningful activities Providing tips for sleeping, eating and drinking Suggesting ways to help your partner with their appearance and dignity Showing you ways of overcoming the challenges of changing behaviour, reactions and responses Helping reduce the effects of hallucinations, delusions and misperceptions Suggesting ways for you to care for yourself Involving families and friends Giving advice when considering professional care at home and in residential care Knowing how tired and stressed you may feel, 'Finding the Light in Dementia' is written in bite sized chunks that makes it easy to follow. By giving you space to write down any points you would like to make and providing question sheets for you to refer to when speaking with your doctor and/or legal professionals you can make this your personal guide. When following the approaches in this book, you should find that your partner will feel more understood and you will become calmer thereby helping you both find a sense of connection and continue to live well.




Psychotherapeutic Support for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia


Book Description

Learn how family caregivers of people with dementia can be supported by psychotherapy Provides step-by-step guidance for face-to-face or remote therapy Illustrated with therapeutic dialogs from real cases Includes downloadable intervention handouts This handbook addresses the extremely challenging situation that family caregivers of people with dementia face and is informed by the use of evidence-based psychotherapeutic strategies to support them. The book guides readers step-by step through effective therapeutic strategies, mainly based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, and illustrated with excerpts of dialogs between therapists and family caregivers from real sessions. Different modules address topics such as dealing with challenging behavior, self-care, perfectionism and guilt, as well as changes in the relationship with the ill person, barriers to seeking social and professional support, stress management and emotion regulation, accepting one's own limits, and dealing with institutionalization. These modules can be put together to meet different individuals' needs. Particular emphasis is placed on creating a positive therapeutic alliance, resource activation, and helping caregivers develop the motivation for change. Finally, multiple handouts that can be used in clinical practice are available for download. The intervention is suitable for various settings, including face-to-face therapy or remote forms such as telephone or online therapy. This manual is ideal for clinical psychologists, gerontologists, psychotherapists, social workers, and counsellors working with people with dementia and their families.




Life with Big Al (Early Alzheimer's)


Book Description

Why settle for plain floors when you can turn them into decorative accents that add as much to the beauty of your home as the furniture or window treatments? Products such as acrylic varnishes that resist yellowing make it easier than ever to achieve great results using a variety of time-honoured techniques.




Lifting Our Voices


Book Description

Lifting Our Voices is the only book to explore the dual roles of professional social workers who are also family caregivers and the only collection on caregiving in which the majority of contributors are African American. After discussing the relevant literature, Lifting Our Voices vividly and sensitively presents the caregiving experiences of ten professional social workers. Using professional and theoretical knowledge and skills, each contributor draws implications for various levels of social work and human service interventions. These poignant descriptions and analyses recount both the frustrations and barriers of negotiating social service agencies and other institutions and the joys and triumphs of family caregiving. Lifting Our Voices frankly discusses how a professional education either prepares or fails to equip an individual with the skills for successful intervention on behalf of a loved one. Contributors hail from rich and varied backgrounds, revealing the importance of age, ethnicity, gender, marital status, and gerontological expertise in the practice of family caregiving. These essays explore situations rarely reported on in the literature, such as caregivers and care recipients who represent the lifespan from preschool to retirement. Lifting Our Voices graphically describes types of caregiving that are seldom discussed, including simultaneous caregiving to multiple family members and reciprocal and sequential caregiving, thus broadening and refining the very concepts of "caregiving" and "family."




Dementia Sucks


Book Description

The surprising true story of one woman’s journey through the nightmare of losing both parents to dementia, as she learns that a sense of humor is mandatory for survival. “Not buying it, huh?” My mother acknowledged her assertion that the woman she pointed out at the rehab center as being her dead husband was a bit of a stretch. But this was the kind of conversation I had with Mom as her cognitive abilities declined and her psychosis fully bloomed. The true, heart-wrenching, and yet hilarious stories at the center of Dementia Sucks were borne of a journal and blog that author Tracey Lawrence kept as her mother transformed from classic Jewish mother, to mildly forgetful Floridian grandma, to geriatric delinquent removed by police for knife-play at a rehabilitation facility. Really. Tracey’s journey takes her from being an established graphic artist in northern New Jersey through bouts of full-time, hands-on caregiving of both her aging parents. She discusses many of the common challenges families face, and provides a humorous and highly educational perspective on her emotionally charged ride through geriatric illnesses, doctors, hospitals, insurance, facilities, family dynamics, and much more. Anyone who has family members they care about will want to read this book. Whether dementia visits or not, some aspect of Tracey’s caregiving journey will likely resonate with, amuse, and enlighten you. The trick to surviving loss after loss is to find the humor in it all and avoid punching anyone, least of all yourself. This irreverent look shows you the way.




Diary of a Caregiver


Book Description

In 2009, my wife of over fifty-eight years was diagnosed with dementia with Alzheimers symptoms. My caregiving responsibilities began before that time and continued until her death in January 2018. She was provided care in her own home. As time went by, the caregiver duties became more and more demanding. It was truly twenty-four hours each day and seven days each week. My sweetheart was referred to the hospice program as a patient beginning in 2013 with a life expectancy of six months or less. At the time of her passing, she had been a hospice patient for four years, eleven months, and five days. The Diary of a Caregiver begins with her entry into the hospice program and continues until her death. Caregiving can be very frustrating at times as one never knows what to expect or when to expect it. The Diary of a Caregiver identifies many of the problems and frustrations associated with care of a dementia patient. It also identifies different techniques and solutions to some of those problems. It should be of interest to anyone who is involved in caregiving, especially those who are just beginning.




The Family Experience of Dementia


Book Description

Dementia not only affects the person presented with the diagnosis, but their family and friends too. This book provides practitioners with strategies to support the whole family and understand their dementia journey both pre- and post-diagnosis. This is facilitated through a series of activities and reflective prompts. There is also a dedicated chapter offering structured exercises for health and social care practitioners and students. The book introduces the Lawrence family, where Peter has been diagnosed with dementia, and provides perspectives from each family member, allowing practitioners to become acquainted with the lived experience of everyone involved. The reflective questions allow readers to become actively engaged to maximise their knowledge and understanding, and to better contextualize what the dementia experience feels like for family and friends. With its focus on the all-important lived experience of the whole family during the diagnostic process and beyond, this is essential reading for any practitioner working with people with dementia.




Dementia with Dignity


Book Description

The revolutionary how-to guidebook that details ways to make it easier to provide dementia home care for people experiencing Alzheimer's or dementia. Alzheimer's home care is possible! Dementia with Dignity explains the groundbreaking new approach: the DAWN Method(R), designed so families and caregivers can provide home care. It outlines practical tools and techniques to help your loved one feel happier and more comfortable so that you can postpone the expense of long-term care. In this book you'll learn: -The basic facts about Alzheimer's and dementia, plus the skills lost and those not lost; -How to recognize and respond to the emotions caused by Alzheimer's or dementia, and avoid dementia-related behaviors; -Tools for working with an impaired person's moods and changing sense of reality; -Home care techniques for dealing with hygiene, safety, nutrition and exercise issues; -A greater understanding and appreciation of what someone with Alzheimer's or dementia is experiencing, and how your home care can increase home their emotional wellbeing. Wouldn't dementia home care be easier if you could get on the same page as your loved one? When we understand what someone experiencing Alzheimer's or dementia is going through, we can truly help them enjoy more peace and security at home. This book will help you recognize the unmet emotional needs that are causing problems, giving you a better understanding and ability to address them. The good news about dementia is that home care is possible. There are infinitely more happy times and experiences to be shared together. Be a part of caring for, honoring, and upholding the life of someone you love by helping them experience Alzheimer's or dementia with dignity. Judy Cornish is the author of The Dementia Handbook-How to Provide Dementia Care at Home, founder of the Dementia & Alzheimer's Wellbeing Network(R) (DAWN), and creator of the DAWN Method. She is also a geriatric care manager and elder law attorney, member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the American Society on Aging (ASA).