Box of Chocolates Mother’s Day was very unusual this year. When I arrived, I greeted my mother with, “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!” and she said, “Thank you.” I gave her some gifts and a card, and she was very happy and appreciative. After a few minutes, she looked at me and asked, “Who are you?” When I told her I was her daughter, she said, “I didn’t know I had any children.” I told her she had two girls and one boy. She asked where the other two were, and I told her they were always around her somewhere. She then asked, “What is your name?” I said, “My name is Pavah.” She then looked at me very strangely and asked, “Who in the world would give a child a name like that?” Just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!
Collects personal accounts from Alzheimer's patients and family members on their individual struggles, providing inspiring and uplifting tales of strength, treatment, and compassion. --
Judys mother Sallie suffered from Alzheimers for many years. Judy wrote this book to share her experiences as Sallies caregiver in an effort to help others cope with a loved ones Alzheimers and to help them enjoy the ride. Excerpt from the book: " While she was still physically with us, she was not the mother I knew before Alzheimers....I had grieved her loss and yet she was not gone....I knew I would miss Sallie when she was gone, but I already missed my mother. I visited, loved, and cared for a nice, old lady who did not know who I was. Sometimes she would say she did not know me, ask who I was, or tell me she had never seen me before. I would tell her my name was Judy and that I was her new visitor. I never tried to convince her that I was her daughter. She did not remember.
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.
A good mind knows the right answers...but a great mind knows the right questions. And never are the 10 Best Questions™ more important than after the life-altering diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Drawing on cutting-edge research and advice given by experts from the Alzheimer's Association, Mayo Clinic, and UCLA's Memory Clinic and Center for Aging -- as well as personal stories from caretakers, including television star and activist Linda Dano and nationally syndicated columnist Harriet Cole -- The 10 Best Questions™ for Living with Alzheimer's is a guide you'll take with you to your doctor's office and keep close at hand as your loved one progresses from the initial diagnosis through all the stages of the disease. In addition to the medical questions, you'll also learn what you need to ask your spouse or parent; questions to assess home safety issues, driving skills, and home care; and how to care for your own emotional, legal, and financial health. With a wealth of resources and up-to-the-minute information, The 10 Best Questions™ for Living with Alzheimer's shows you and your family how to move past a scary diagnosis and use the power of questions to become your own best health advocate -- for yourself and for your loved one.
A powerful and emotional memoir about family and memory from the father-son singing sensation whose heartwarming carpool karaoke video took social media by storm. At first, Simon’s beloved father, Ted, suffered sudden bad moods and forgetfulness. Then the diagnosis: Alzheimer’s. Ted was disappearing from the family, but Simon wanted to hold on to him. While music could bring him back temporarily—the video of the two of them singing along to Ted’s favorite song was a hit around the world—Ted could no longer tell his story. This is that story. The Songaminute Man is the heartbreaking, poignant tale of vanishing family memories, a celebration of Ted’s life and a moving account of caring for a truly loved father.
“Hell No I Don’t Remember, I Have Alzheimer’s!” were the very words spoken by one of our loved ones when asked if they remembered. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are inordinate diseases that steal away the thoughts, memories, and perspectives of those impacted. They are villains that corrode the filters of one’s mind leaving them open for more decay. Four authors have collaborated to share their experiences about the reality of caring for loved ones who have dementia/Alzheimer’s. If you are struggling with this disease as a caregiver, you will undoubtedly identify with many of the same experiences. It is our hope that our shared stories give you solace in knowing others are walking this journey with you. You are not alone. Perhaps you can find a respite in each chapter and take away valuable information.
Betsy Peterson spent fourteen years caring for her husband who was suffering from dementia, an experience that put her in touch with others inside the struggle to have or to care for someone with the disease. A combination of contributions from patients, their families, friends, and caregivers, Voices of Alzheimer's gathers the poignant stories, funny quotes, and priceless encouragement that Peterson heard and that helped her along the way. Capturing the many dimensions of the Alzheimer experience-the challenges, the struggles, the humor, and even the rewards-aVoices presents a varied, and realistic, look at what it's like to be affected by the disease. With compassion, humor, and grace, it offers the simple advice, wisdom, and understanding of others who have traveled the same uncertain path.
With the heartfelt prose of a loving daughter, Patti Davis provides a life raft for the caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. “For the decade of my father’s illness, I felt as if I was floating in the deep end, tossed by waves, carried by currents, but not drowning,” writes Patti Davis in this searingly honest and deeply moving account of the challenges involved in taking care of someone stricken with Alzheimer’s. When her father, the fortieth president of the United States, announced his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in an address to the American public in 1994, the world had not yet begun speaking about this cruel, mysterious disease. Yet overnight, Ronald Reagan and his immediate family became the face of Alzheimer’s, and Davis, once content to keep her family at arm’s length, quickly moved across the country to be present during “the journey that would take [him] into the sunset of [his] life.” Empowered by all she learned from caring for her father—about the nature of the illness, but also about the loss of a parent—Davis founded a support group for the family members and friends of Alzheimer’s patients. Along with a medically trained cofacilitator, she met with hundreds of exhausted and devastated attendees to talk through their pain and confusion. While Davis was aware that her own circumstances were uniquely fortunate, she knew there were universal truths about dementia, and even surprising gifts to be found in a long goodbye. With Floating in the Deep End, Davis draws on a welter of experiences to provide a singular account of battling Alzheimer’s. Eloquently woven with personal anecdotes and helpful advice tailored specifically for the overlooked caregiver, this essential guide covers every potential stage of the disease from the initial diagnosis through the ultimate passing and beyond. Including such tips as how to keep a loved one hygienic, and careful responses for when they drift to a time gone by, Davis always stresses the emotional milestones that come with slow-burning grief. Along the way, Davis shares how her own fractured family came together. With unflinching candor, she recalls when her mother, Nancy, who for decades could not show her children compassion or vulnerability, suddenly broke down in her arms. Davis also offers tender moments in which her father, a fabled movie star whom she always longed to know better, revealed his true self—always kind, even when he couldn’t recognize his own daughter. An inherently wise work that promises to become a classic, Floating in the Deep End ultimately provides hope to struggling families while elegantly illuminating the fragile human condition.
"Jim and Helen Whitworth have done an outstanding job not only of collecting a comprehensive compendium on all aspects of LBD, but they also have provided a personal touch with a moving compilation of anecdotes, stories, and quotes. I commend them for their efforts and will most certainly recommend this book as required reading for all my LBD patients and their families." -James E. Galvin, MD, MPH, Director, Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, Chief of Cognitive Aging for Palm Beach and Broward Counties, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine A Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia is the first book to present a thorough picture of what Lewy body dementia really is. Combining current strategies for managing symptoms and behaviors with personal examples that connect to readers' own experiences, this is the ideal book for caregivers, family members, and friends of individuals seeking to understand the disease and provide support to their loved ones. Written in easy-to-read language, the chapters incorporate handy facts and tips throughout, definitions of key terms, and practical wisdom to help caregivers navigate the day-to-day. Links to online resources, support groups, and associations are collected at the end of the book for further reference. As a complete guide to Lewy body dementia, this revised and updated second edition includes coverage of recent research developments and topic areas of growing interest, including: Updated information on the latest drug and treatment options Brand new chapter on the psychology of dementia, explaining the ways dementia changes the brain and how caregivers can continue to relate to their loved ones Discussions of the various causes for dementia-related behaviors and responsive dementia care techniques for caregivers to follow Expanded section on alternative therapies in a new chapter dedicated to managing stress
