Book Description

When her once-glamorous and witty novelist-mother got Alzheimer's, Eleanor Cooney moved her from her beloved Connecticut home to California in order to care for her. In tense, searing prose, punctuated with the blackest of humor, Cooney documents the slow erosion of her mother's mind, the powerful bond the two shared, and her own descent into drink and despair.

Customer Reviews (34)

Through a glass, darkly . . .
but unlike the passage from 1 Corinthians, Eleanor Cooney's perception and view of Alzheimer's disease is clear, unmuddied and unlike any that I've ever read.As the disease clouds the memory and behavior of her mother, the range of emotions that I felt as a reader and witness were sometimes too much to bear.

This is a book that I first read when a condensed version appeared in a Harper's magazine article in 2001.I purchased the book shortly thereafter since my own mother had been diagnosed with the disease a year earlier at the age of 58.

I still pick up Death, in Slow Motion every few weeks.I can't tell you what a comfort it has been to me as I journey through the dark and twisted tunnel of care for my own mother.Although our circumstances are different, and the case of every Alzheimer's patient is truly unique, I felt and still feel as if I have met someone who is willing to hold up that mirror and tell me what I am in store for - but in a comforting, compassionate and very honest manner.

Death in Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Daughter, Her Mother, and the Beast Called Alzheimer's
Eleanor Cooney has written the most eye-opening and honest account of Alzheimer's that I have ever read! I was a caretaker to my Mother who also had Alzheimer's and much of this mirrored our experience. It felt like someone was finally telling my story: I'm broke, I'm exhausted, I can't take it, I'm abusing substances, I love her, I sometimes wish she'd die, I miss her....I hate myself!

I don't always find authors or experts that have her down to earth way of relaying the real nitty-gritty experience of caring for someone with Alzheimer's. She's an intellegent, strong woman who jumped head-first into the role of caretaker of her Mother, Mary who was beginning the long decline of Alzheimer's. This is a task many children take on and barely survive. Eleanor Cooney is definately a survivor and a brilliant, funny, brutally honest author.

But Eleanor Cooney is also a wonderful storyteller. I feel like I have been in these Connecticut neighborhoods and homes, and have met this cast of characters that tell the exciting story of Mary Durant's life. I especially feel like I've met someone special, Mary. It's hard to remember the person that's inside that Alzheimer's shell. Eleanor has done her Mother proud and left a loving memory of a very beautiful, creative and unusual person.

As the author remarks of Alzheimer's: "you will never be the same once it's paid you a visit." I have not been the same since I've read this book! Do yourself a favor and take this journey!

Powerful!
I bought this book because I had to for a Psycology class report.I read this in 1 day and was pulled in by the true, raw emotion described in this real story about the author and her mother.It is the kind of book you want to read about a subject you want to look away from.I recommend this for anyone who has a loved one suffering with Alzheimers, in the medical feild, or just someone who wants a gripping, powerful read.

p.s.I bought this book used.....wonderful condition...used is the way to go for any college student! low $$$$

Death in Slow Motion
This superbly interesting book reads like a story. She has done something major for anyone taking care of a person with Alzheimer's Disease. Her amazing honesty is like a breath of fresh air, and the book helped me more than any other book or support group.

A Must Read for Alzheimer's Caregivers
This book is required reading for Alzheimer's caregivers and anyone else who wants to understand what Alzheimer's truly does to the patient and the family.Ms. Cooney gives voice to the myriad emotions the Alzheimer's caregiver experiences.Her down-to-earth style draws you into her harrowing world. This book is a valuable addition to the Alzheimer's genre! ... Read more

Book Description
Therapist Abraham shows how art can provide people with Alzheimer's disease a way to express their thoughts and emotions, when they can no longer communicate well verbally and words have lost their meaning. Abraham believes it is our moral obligation to provide elders with this tool, lest they be prematurely deemed beyond interaction. The confidence and self-esteem of elders--and that of the people who love them --can be bolstered by art therapy. And this is the first work demonstrating that art is not just busy work for those with Alzheimer's, but a profound and symbolic method allowing them to communicate. This work includes more than 70 drawings and paintings by people with Alzheimer's, and case histories of the men and women who created the artworks. Art activities, with a significant therapeutic relationship, can especially increase quality of life for people with Alzheimer's, particularly during the seven-year relatively stable period of the illness. Psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and health care workers will also find this work especially valuable and insightful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Book...Complete guide to Art Therapy and Alzheimer's
While writing my senior thesis on art therapy and Alzheimer's I was only able to find one book that embodied the subject as a whole.This book includes all the information that one could need on the subject and was written to inform and engage the reader in a way that is compelling and thoughtful.The stories of different Alzheimer's sufferers journeys in art therapy and the accompanying images gives a real life look on the positive affects of art therapy and gives the reader a compassionate view on the subject.I highly recommend this book for anyone who is studying Alzheimer's or knows someone with the disease and would like to learn more about how they can help that person by improving their quality of life through art therapy.Overall the book is written very well in an easy to read way that keeps the reader engaged, while at the same time being very informative and thorough.

Extremely useful text
This was a very useful text for me when my mother was suffering from Alzheimer's.It reads like a novel, in such clear language, and helped me understand a lot of my mother's bizarre behavior.The author's story of her struggle as a caregiver was so touching; it gave a humane side to this difficult illness.

Great guide for those with Alzheimer's family members
Inspiring and companionate description of Alzheimer's patients ability to communicate and experience intimacy long after all seems lost.
Helpful at the professional level while expressing the personal experience of those with family members in need of special attention.


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Book Description
Because Alzheimer's disease affects each person differently, caregiverscontinue to search for methods that can meet diverse needs. The BestFriends Approach to Alzheimer's Care offers an uplifting, effective method for the care of people with Alzheimer's disease. This comprehensiveprogram uses positive strategies that build on older adults' remainingstrengths and abilities. It's easy to learn and simple to implement. Thebasic elements found in any good friendship -- respect, empathy, support,trust, humor--are what give the Best Friends model the flexibility toadapt to individuals at all points along the ever-changing continuum ofthe disease process. Whether dealing with confusion, frustration, anxiety, anger, or other challenges, caregivers will find in this volume thespecific tools they need to solve problems and improve care recipients'behavior -- compassionately and effectively. Learn how to ensure thehighest quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease, not just bypreventing catastrophic episodes but by making every day consistentlyreassuring, enjoyable, and secure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent resource and training manual
I read this book as part of training to lead activities in an adult day center. It is thorough, concise and very reader friendly. This is an excellent resource for training programs and for anyone wanting to develop skills in working with persons with Alzheimer's Disease or dementia. This book is a must have.

You gotta have friends...
This past semester, my seminary (Christian Theological Seminary) was honoured to host Virginia and Wayne Bell as they led a conference on Spirituality and Aging. As we approach a time in which the issues of aging will take increasing prominence, as the baby-boomers reach a collectively-older age than any generation in history has reached, the issues surrounding health care for the elderly are of primary importance, and part of that health is mental (which includes spiritual) health. The Bells have spent much time investigating and helping in the area of Alzheimer's, a disease that affects mind, body and spirit. Virginia Bell, together with a colleague, David Troxel, collaborated on two books (one of which is the the subject of this review) presenting an innovative way for care of those with Alzheimer's: `The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care'.

Virginia Bell, MSW, is currently Program Consultant with the Lexington/Bluegrass Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She is a graduate of Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky, and has lectured widely at national and international conference. Her co-author, David Troxel, works with the Santa Barbara chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

`"The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care" reflects a growing optimism in the field of Alzheimer's care that much can be done to improve the lives of people with the disease and to transform caregiving from a terrible burden to care that is manageable. This book represents the development of the first comprehensive model of care, which is easy to understand and learn.'

At the start of the book, Bell and Troxel describe the various experiences of those with Alzheimer's. By looking at the depression, confusion, and detachment that those with Alzheimer's experience, the caregiver gains a greater understanding and compassion for those suffering. Perhaps the most important key insight comes from a nurse and teacher, Rebecca, who began to experience symptoms of Alzheimer's at age 59.

`I dislike social workers, nurses and friends who do not treat me as a real person.'

Despite her slowly declining cognitive abilities, she is still able to sense that people are regarding her differently, as a patient, as an object, as a 'third person' rather than a real person.

Persons with Alzheimer's experience loss, sadness, confusion, isolation and loneliness, fear, frustration, anxiety, paranoia, anger, and embarrassment. The Best Friends model takes all of these into account as a normal part of everyone's life.

The second chapter gives a basic overview of Alzheimer's, giving symptoms, diagnosis, services, caregiving issues, and research news. The Best Friends model requires no specialised medical or scientific knowledge -- an appendix is included in the book for those who wish to pursue those topics in more detail.

The following chapters develop the aspects of care along the Best Friends model. This requires first assessing the strengths and abilities of the person receiving care (and this may require a daily update). An understanding of what persons with Alzheimer's may require is included as an `Alzheimer's Disease Bill of Rights'. These are important, and often overlooked, so I shall reprint them here:

Every person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder deserves the following rights:

- To be informed of one's diagnosis
- To have appropriate, ongoing medical care
- To be productive in work and play for as long as possible
- To be treated like an adult, not like a child
- To have expressed feelings taken seriously
- To be free from psychotropic medications, if possible
- To live in a safe, structured, and predictable environment
- To enjoy meaningful activities that fill each day
- To be outdoors on a regular basis
- To have physical contact, including hugging, caressing, and hand-holding
- To be with individuals who know one's life story, including cultural and religious traditions
- To be cared for by individuals who are well trained in dementia care

A key point to being a Best Friend is that the caregiver becomes a memory aid to the person -- friends know each others' histories. Being reminded of past accomplishments, family connections, personal beliefs and traditions helps tremendously. It gets them involved in their own lives again.

Friends do many things: they share history, they do things together, they communicate, they build self-esteem, they laugh often, they work at the relationship, and they are equals. These carry over as key concepts in the Best Friends model. Bell and Troxel go into some detail about how to handle situations for the full-time caregiver, the volunteer, and for those who visit persons with Alzheimer's in care. Specific situations and general principles are presented in a clear, intelligible manner with great application potential.

An important part of the process of understanding and dealing with those with Alzheimer's is to understand oneself. Thus, there is a section on Being One's Own Best Friend. How do we react and respond? Do we give ourselves enough care? How can we care for others if we do not care for ourselves? How do we respect the needs and desires of those we care for while recognising and respecting our own needs? These are important questions, and Bell and Troxel address it by illustrating the relationship between Rebecca and Jo, her Best Friend.

`Because any of us can be touched by Alzheimer's disease, can have bad things happen to us, our friends, or our families, the ultimate message the authors wish to convey is this: We should treat everyone important to us as we would our own Best Friend.'

Philosophy of Care
Seeing the Helping Hands Adult Day Care program, which is the fruit of the philosophy of this work, was a life changing event for me. The caring and love shown by the staff of Helping Hands are living testiment to the dedication of workers to improve the quality of life for clients affected by the devastation of Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. If all facilities,both assisted living and nursing homes, truly invested in this approach, life would indeed be different for the persons affected by this disease and their caregivers. A definite must for those struggling with the problems of caregiving those with Alzheimer's disease.

The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care
Simple yet profound new way of caring about people with Alzheimer's. Easy toread with practical use.

A positive and practical approach to caring for those with A
This book is a must for anyone, including family, caregiver, or friend who knows someone with Alzheimers.The "best friends" approach is a caring, sensitive and thoughful way to work with and care for those withthis disease. The authors provide practical examples of dealing withbehavior problems, planning activities and most importantly how to be a"friend" to the person with Alzheimers. The authors have done asuperb job of providing a creative yet common sense approach to caring forthose with this disease. ... Read more

Book Description
One journalist’s riveting—and surprisingly hopeful—in-the-trenches look at Alzheimer’s, the disease that claimed her mother’s life

Like many loved ones of Alzheimer’s sufferers, Lauren Kessler was devastated by the ravaging disease that seemed to turn her mother into another person before claiming her life altogether. To deal with the pain of her loss, and to better understand the confounding aspects of living with a disease that afflicts four and a half million people every year, Kessler enlisted as a caregiver at a facility she calls Maplewood. Life inside the facility is exhausting and humbling, a microenvironment built upon the intense relationships between two groups of marginalized people: the victims of Alzheimer’s and the underpaid, overworked employees who care for them. But what surprises Kessler more than the disability and backbreaking work is the grace, humor, and unexpected humanity that are alive and well at Maplewood.

Dancing with Rose is forceful and funny, clear-eyed and compelling. An intriguing narrative about the relationships and realities of end-of-life care, it stars an endearing cast of characters who give a human face to what has always been considered a dehumanizing condition. Illuminating and beautifully written, Kessler’s immersion offers a new, optimistic view on what Alzheimer’s has to teach us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Must reading!
If you read no other book this year, read this one.This is a fascinating book written by a woman who worked in an Alzheimer's care facility.After reading this book I have a far greater understanding of Alzheimer's and the people who face this disease.I know that now I will be far less fearful and much more loving when faced with someone with Alzheimer's than I ever would have been without reading this book.That alone makes it invaluable.Read it with an open heart.

Exceptional book.
This book explained the humane and sweet side of Alzheimer's.Having had several members of my family suffer with the disease, I was at first hesitant to read it but was glad to have decided otherwise.I have recommended the book to many friends and relatives.I think it would help future caregivers look differently towards the disease and maybe help them.

Seeking Solutions With Honest Reporting
Alzheimer's disease afflicts more than four million people a year in our country.Everyone at some time or another will be affected by a dementia that is difficult to understand especially when it happens to a family member. When confronted with memory loss, most of us immediately begin to research dementias and we reach out for understanding through books on the subject. There are many, but this book is special - a fresh and hopeful outlook on a devasting disease.

The author movingly gives us an honest look at residents with Alzheimers in an assisted living complex on the west coast,and how they and their caregivers cope with the routine and the unexpected.Lauren Kessler, as an investigative reporter, writes movingly of her experience working among men and women in various stages of Alzheimers, stressing that each person reacts differently to memory loss and that they are worth understanding.Her insights, both from her own personal experience with her mother, and from working as a caregiver are uplifting, truthful, constructive and inspired.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. Not only will it provide the reader with a new understanding of memory loss and how to lovingly react to an afflicted person, but it also sends a message about appreciating caregivers - those at home and those toiling in nursing homes across the country for minimum wage and long hours.

Wonderful
Living across the country from a parent suffering with this terrible disease, I could relate to this book on many levels.It's very easy to read, just hard to put down!You get brought into not just the story of the author and her mother, but the stories of the patients and workers at the nursing home that Lauren goes to work at.I loved that at the end we were updated as to the status of the inspiring people she wrote about.

Important, funny and wise look at aging and Alzheimer's
This deeply honest book transforms the way we see aging and illness.

Kessler is a perceptive journalist who brings back from her job at a care facility the kind of wisdom and understanding we look for in a smart friend.

Dancing with Rose is a gracefully written, accessible look at Alzheimer's, not just as a medical condition to be coped with, but also as a stage of life many of us will experience through our loved ones or ourselves. Very highly recommended.



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Book Description

"There are many books written about Alzheimer's disease. The concise nature and easy readability of this book will make it an effective tool for family members with a parent who has dementia. The upbeat nature and 'Tips' section at the end of each chapter helps the book read in much the same way that a supportive conversation with a friend would be to the reader. I heartily recommend this book to the adult children of my patients with Alzheimer's disease."-Kevin R. Smith, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, director of Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland

For adult children of parents struggling with Alzheimer's disease, finding useful tips and suggestions for dealing with everyday challenges can be difficult. Unforgettable Journey: Tips to Survive Your Parent's Alzheimer's Disease provides an easy-to-read, concise compellation of author Anne P. Hill's experiences coping with her mother's illness.

Hill details the specific methods she used to understand and manage the daily trials of caring for her mother. Broken down into small chapters, Hill focuses on each step of the Alzheimer's journey and offers a compassionate, intimate, and insightful glimpse into the life of those who suffer from Alzheimer's-both patient and caretaker.

Customer Reviews (2)

"Unforgettable Journey..." is worth the trip
This quick-read provides a valuable insight into ways to help cope with issues related to Alzheimer's and provides tips that can be used for other elderly care situations as well.I highly recommend this book - and will be encouraging my children to read it as well...:)

An Invaluable Book for Anyone who has a Parent with Alzheimer's
If you even suspect that your parent is beginning to loose her/his memory, I recommend that you read this book.This well written, easy to read book makes one feel that we are not alone in dealing with this emotionally exhausting elderly care issue.Hopefully, in the next year or two, medication will become available to slow or stop this devastating disease.Until then, I suggest you read Anne's book and have it there to read again as you go through your own unforgettable journey.

Kathleen Thomas
Author of "Don't Call Me Rosie", the Women who Welded the LSTs and the Men who Sailed on Them"Don't Call Me Rosie: The Women Who Welded the Lsts and the Men Who Sailed on Them ... Read more

Book Description
Information caregivers need the right tools for effective, compassionatedementia caregiving and self-care. Those tools are here in thiseasy-to-understand guide from the renowned editior of Alzheimer's CareQuarterly. Presenting a positive yet realistic view of challengingresponsibility, this book will instill hope, increase confidence in careprovision, and tap heretofore undiscovered caregiving skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A complete, definitive, and thoroughly "user friendly" guide
Carol Bowlby Sifton is the founder and editor of the journal "Alzheimer's Care Quarterly". In Navigating The Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass For Caregiving, she draws upon her many years of personal experience and professional expertise to provide caregivers for Alzheimer victims a complete, definitive, and thoroughly "user friendly" guide to caring for men and women in all degrees of Alzheimer's progressive deterioration. Readers will be expertly provided with information on how Alzheimer's disease and similar dementias affect a loved one; how to best communicate and interact with an Alzheimer's sufferer; how to manage activities of daily care; why challenging behaviors occur and how to respond to them; how to arrange the physical environment to best support everyday functioning; how to capitalize on remaining abilities; when and how to get help; and what plans to make for future care needs. If you have someone you love that is suffering from Alzheimer's, or caring for someone who is, and are carrying a personal responsibility for your own family member's struggle with Alzheimer, then give a careful reading to Carol Sifton's Navigating The Alzheimer's Journey -- it can improve the quality of the care you provide, while saving you from unnecessary physical and mental stress, and avoiding emotional burnout.

Excellent Resource!
Wow-Carol has written a fantastic resource, very comprehensive, on caregiving and Alzheimer's Disease! I wish it had been available for me when I was navigating the complicated maze of eldercare for my parents-both with the beginning of Alzheimer's, but I didn't know it yet. Knowledge is power-don't get caught unprepared. This book can save you a lot of time, money and a fortune in Kleenex. If you have aging loved ones who are having memory problems, or any odd behaviors that you find yourself questioning--here's your roadmap and compass!

Jacqueline Marcell, Author, `Elder Rage' and Host of the `Coping with Caregiving' radio program.
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Product Description
Mum, Alzheimer's and Me:Staying Alive is a fictionalized memoir inspired by real events, a gripping must-read for anyone who needs to know how to help someone with Alzheimer's.Told with humor and heart, it dramatizes the elderly victim's plight as memories fade and relationships inevitably change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A moving story of Alzheimer's.
My sister is an advanced Alzheimer's patient who because of travel distance and difficulties I am only able to visit about once a year. I try to help a little by bringing back memories of our happy youth and family life together.However, this book brought home to me the time, effort,and love, some of it thankless, which is required of the immediate family and the professional staff and caregivers in the nursing home. I would recommend this book to those who wish a deeper insight into the wider but also detailed aspects of this tragic disease.

The importance of advocacy
Everyone who has a friend or family member with Alzheimers in a nursing home should read this book. It provides a close look at the challenges faced not only by the people who suffer from Alzheimers but also, just as importantly, by the people (including nursing home staff) who care about them.The book reveals much that is true about this disease and about caregivers--and the truth is often funny and always wearing. Court has addressed a painful subject but the book is a compelling read despite the hard truths.

Honest, Lively, and Thought-provoking
We all live afraid of Alzheimer's--afraid that one day we will lose our mind to the disease or perhaps worse, that one we love will be afflicted.Caroline Court has written an achingly honest story of one woman's affliction and its devastating impact on the lives of those around her.Anyone who has ever cared for someone in a nursing home will immediately recognize the terrible dilemmas and compromises imposed by nursing care.A lively read, clever, and above all else, thought-provoking.This story will stay with you long after you close the cover on the last page. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Magic Tape Recorder" is a book for children of all ages and was written to help educate them on the effects of aging and memory loss. The book teaches children how to be "helpers" to seniors with Alzheimer's disease. The book is beautifully illustrated by Czech artist Inka Delevova. Each brilliantly colored page is guaranteed to capture a child's eye. The Magic Tape Recorder is fun and exciting to read and is a must have for all parents and educators. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Spielman's Review
The Magic Tape Recorder is a well-written book by Grandma Joyce with engaging illustrations by Inka Delevova. When parents read and re-read this book with their children, it provides opportunities to personalize discussions about family and life. This book is NOT just for young children. This book is NOT just for families with Alzheimer's. All ages can benefit from the messages about losing our memory, helping family members, having fun with family, and loving our family.

Allzheimers is notContagious
When Grandma Joyce visits with groups of children, she asks them "Who has grandparents?".Fortunately, most children do, and they know that getting older is normal.They know that sometines getting older meanshaving more trouble walking, seeing, hearing and remembering.Joyce Simard, who is an expert in the field of improving quality of life for those with Alzheimers, has written this book to teach children how to be comfortable with, how to help and how to communicate with elders -- even those who can no longer communicate with us in the ususal ways.The pictures are bright and cheery.She talks about toys and love and memories.She teaches children that although Alzheimers is a disease, it is not contagious.I recommend reading The Magic Tape Recorder with your child and then discussing how to be with, and care for, those with severe memory loss.Congratulations Grandma Joyce for making this topic child- and adult-friendly.

Helping children understand Alzheimers
Just a note to say how much I enjoyed "The Magic Tape Recorder" by Grandma Joyce.It's a wonderful, colorful book that helps children understand what is happening to older people in their world who have Alzheimers. It explains in simple terms why grandparents sometimes can't remember things and what they can do to help them. And, most importantly,
it shows that Alzheimers disease is NOT something they have to be afraid of.

Wonderful explination for children about Alzheimer's disease.
This is a thoughtful and well written book that explains the effects of Alzheimer's disease to children in a light and entertaining way. The illustrations are colorful and add humour to this important subject. If your family has a person with Alzheimer's disease and there are children that visit that person, this is a must read for the kids. My child reads it as a story book and gains knowledge about the disease without knowing it. Great idea that should be a series of books that explain other complicated subjects to children.

Kudos to Grandma Joyce
The Magic Tape Recorder is a wonderful book that helps children understand what happens when a person has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Joyce Simard (Grandma Joyce) uses the analogy of a tape recorder to bring the complex issues of memory loss down to a level that children can comprehend. Great book for children and families, with a fun, rhythmic narrative and beautiful colored illustrations. Kudos to Grandma Joyce. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (6)

One of the Best!
I especially admire the sections "Twenty Coping Strategies" and "The New Life of the Caregiver and Its Rewards". She is so wise, although she doesn't always acknowledge that other demenitia pateints may not have the same problems.Wish I'd found this book during my husband's illness! I quote it often in my own book, "Voices of Alzheimer's."

Excellent info for caregivers and family members
This book helps those of us new to dealing with a family member with Alzheimers's.It helps identify odd behaviors as expected and helps give caregiver tips for dealing with the affected family member.

I am one of Lela Shanks grandaughters.
I strongly encourage anyone facing any type of involvement with an Alzheimer's patient to read this book.Anyone who knows the author could tell you that she is the type of person who is honest and straightforward. This book is a mirror image of her personality.There are practicalsolutions to the day to day trials of dealing with an Alzheimer's patientas well as an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance for the entiresituation.The book also deals with the importance of support forcaregivers.The best thing you can do to support yourself or anyoneinvolved with an Alzheimer's patient is to love them.The second bestthing you can do is to educate everyone involved.Start with this book andit will open your eyes and your heart in ways you never thought possible.

Lela Shanks is a true inspiration!
For any family going through this heart-wrenching disease with all of it's struggles, this book should be mandatory reading.I have found, as a daughter of an Alzheimer victim, that people are afraid to ask you aboutyour loved one, because they don't know how to react.Lela Shanks is to beadmired for her enlightenment of this disease.This book should be handedout to any family upon the diagnosis of Alzheimers.

Essential Caregiver Guide to Alzheimer's
I received this book as a gift from a long-time friend about a year after my Father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.This book made me laugh, cry and get angry, but most of all it became a companion during the long, hard careof my Father.Mrs. Shanks gives the patient and caregiver humanity.Sheincludes tips for care and really lets the caregiver know what to expect indealing with this terrible disease.Of all the books I have read dealingwith Alzheimer's this is clearly the best! ... Read more

Book Description

In Alzheimer's: Medical science and families are still asking WHY? Author Jim Greenwood has documented his experiences in caring for his beloved wife, Maxine, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 74 in 1990. This is the true story of a beautiful, gracious lady and how her husband coped with her disease. It is also a tender tale of the love, faith, and devotion between two people whose dreams of sharing their twilight years together in peace and comfort were suddenly shattered by a twist of fate.

This dramatic nonfiction work includes humorous anecdotes of happier times as well as a look at the ongoing search for answers to that elusive question of WHY?Fast-paced and easy to read, this book can be a helpful guide for anyone facing similar challenges in his or her own life. It also describes what to consider in choosing the right care home for a loved one with advanced dementia. Greenwood was at Maxine's side when her long struggle with Alzheimer's ended early in the morning of August 27, 2003. "And in the not-too-distant future in the Columberium niche next to hers," concludes the author in his epilogue, "I will be reunited with my precious forevermore, just as it was meant to be." ... Read more

Product Description
Expand and enrich your Best Friends activity programming with 149 all-new activities for individuals with dementia. Like the first book, this collection of fun and easy activities will add both meaning and enjoyment to the activities at your adult day center, home care setting, or residential care facility.

Feedback and insights from individuals with early-stage dementia helped shape this new collection, as well as activity suggestions from national and international dementia programs. As a result, the activities include a new focus on diversity and multiculturalism. Also featured are topics of interest to participants in their 50s and 60s, such as the Internet, advocacy, and community service.

Participants, staff, and family members will enjoy fresh ideas for creative art projects, interactive games, and evening activities. New themes to explore in Volume 2 include activities related to the kitchen and food, life story sharing and reminiscence, religious and spiritual traditions, and wellness. Adaptations for people in the early and late stages of Alzheimer s disease, preventive measures to avoid unwanted surprises, and conversation tips make these activities particularly versatile.

Use this resource to extend the benefits you already enjoy from Best Friends programming or discover for the first time how this groundbreaking approach can transform activities and daily interactions. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
First attracted to his subject by its horrific ability to destroy the human mind and body, journalist David Shenk ultimately finds reasons to accept Alzheimer's disease--and almost forgive it--in The Forgetting. Shenk describes his work as a biography, the life story of a biological outlaw that sends victims "on a slow but certain trajectory toward forgetting and death." But his illuminating portrait of this growing epidemic offers more than a basic chronology. Shenk begins with the disease's christening in 1906, when German physician Alois Alzheimer discovered mysterious tangles and plaques in the brain of a dead woman who in life had suffered severe memory loss and dementia. The tale unfolds to reveal a host of intriguing players: struggling scientists (the clever, the bullheaded, and the pharmaceutically endowed), politicians divided by opposing priorities, exhausted caregivers, and patients whose biological clocks virtually tick backward over an average eight-year period. It includes impossible twists: longer life expectancies and successful treatments for other diseases mean more cases of Alzheimer's will inevitably occur. Shenk's graceful synthesis of personal accounts (from Plato to Reagan) with a century-long search for answers and cures leads him to an impressive conclusion. Perhaps Alzheimer's disease is much like winter: "Once it is gone, we'll face less hardship, but we'll also have lost an important lens on life." --Liane Thomas Book Description
Afflicting nearly half of all persons over the age of 85, Alzheimer’s disease kills nearly 100,000 Americas a year as it insidiously robs them of their memory and wreaks havoc on the lives of their loved ones. It was once minimized and misunderstood as forgetfulness in the elderly, but Alzheimer’s is now at the forefront of many medical and scientific agendas, for as the world’s population ages, the disease will kill millions more and touch the lives of virtually everyone.

The Forgetting is a scrupulously researched, multilayered analysis of Alzheimer’s and its social, medical, and spiritual implications. David Shenk presents us with much more than a detailed explanation of its causes and effects and the search for a cure. He movingly captures the disease’s impact on its victims and their families, and he looks back through history, explaining how Alzheimer’s most likely afflicted such figures as Jonathan Swift, Ralph Waldo Emerson,and William de Kooning. The result is a searing, powerfully engaging account of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a grim but sympathetic and ultimately encouraging portrait.Download Description

Afflicting nearly half of all persons over the age of 85, Alzheimer's disease kills nearly 100,000 Americas a year as it insidiously robs them of their memory and wreaks havoc on the lives of their loved ones. It was once minimized and misunderstood as forgetfulness in the elderly, but Alzheimer's is now at the forefront of many medical and scientific agendas, for as the world's population ages, the disease will kill millions more and touch the lives of virtually everyone.

Customer Reviews (34)

The title haunts to tell of the forgetting disease
You don't have to be a science nut to be enthralled by David Shenk's book, The Forgetting--Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic. From the first official case of Alzheimer's (Auguste D., a fifty-one-year-old German woman first treated by neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1901), to the use of transgenics to study the disease in mice, Shenk covers everything you need to know about the harrowing disease that, by 2050, will affect 15,000,000 Americans. Except, that is--a surefire way to prevent it.

After 100 years, scientists still do not know exactly why humans get Alzheimer's, but they have learned a lot along the way. Shenk explains even the most intricate details of the disease clearly and carefully, making use of helpful analogies and explaining how memory works on a biological level. He chronicles the decline of several public figures, each of which was either diagnosed with the disease or likely had it before Alzheimer's twentieth-century discovery, including some of the greatest minds of the Western world: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jonathan Swift, Jorge Luis Borges, Willem de Kooning.

Shenk is careful to keep a human element running through the book, reminding readers that science is not a cold, black-and-white world, but a flexible, complex world on which our daily lives depend. Each chapter begins with an anecdote from a family caregiver (spouse, child, etc.), and Shenk follows the progress (or rather, deterioration) of a support group for patients in the early stages. He also writes of a listserve, where caregivers from across the nation ask questions, give advice, share experiences, vent frustration, and celebrate those rare lucid moments.

Alzheimer's risks increase drastically with age, and, as Baby Boomers near retirement, it becomes crucial for average Americans to understand all they can about a disease that will prove both emotionally and financially devastating even for those who do not receive a diagnosis. Shenk gives us hope, however, with discussions of scientific advances and a chapter devoted to how each of us can improve our odds and perhaps escape the ultimate forgetting.

Armchair Interviews says: Well worth reading for the future--our parents or our own.

This book is tops!
I have read a lot about Alzheimer's but this is definitely one of the best. It is easy to read with good illustrations of Alzheimer's onset in persons such as Ronald Reagan. Shenk's comparison of a baby's growth with Alzheimer's decline illustrates the heartbreak for those caring for someone with this disease. I highly recommend this book to professionals as well as laypeople.

I love this book.
The Forgetting is a great book. I love the way it "introduces" you to Alzheimer's. Not so much scientific as human. This terrible disease process that is stalking us as we all age is often misunderstood and not truly appreciated for all its horribleness until it strikes within your own family. I found this book strangely comforting and ultimately left me in a better place than when I started reading it. I highly recommend this book. As an elder law attorney who specializes in helping family's with issues related to this disease process I include this book on my must read list I give to clients. I also highly recommend the DVD that was inspired by this book The Forgetting - A Portrait of Alzheimer's.

An intimate portrait
I am 24 years old, I have never dealt with Alzheimer's in any way, shape, or form.I happened across The Forgetting in a bookstore, being the intense browser that I am, and was immediately attracted to the portrayal of the subject matter.
I enjoyed each page of The Forgetting.With every word, and each carefullly crafted sentence I began to see a different world, one I had been ignorant of and blind too.
I discovered the severity of an illness, which in all likelyhood will continue to spread, and battled with humanity's inability to cure this storm of the century.
David Shenk guides the reader through the history of Alzheimer's and the very little knowledge we have accrued on a illness which has hit its centennial mark.I am thankful David Shenk wrote a touching and compassionate piece of medical history.Although I may not fully understand the implications of Alzheimer's I am now aware of the severity of the illness and am willing to do what little I can to help.

The Forgetting
I was diagnosed nine years ago with Alzheimer's and have read everything I could get my hands on about this disease.I think your book is the most informative book on Alzheimer's that I have read.I think it could be called the Alzheimer's Bible. ... Read more

Book Description
When people we love are suffering, we suffer as well.Sometimes we wish that we could bear their burdens for them.But we also forget that we need to care for our own needs, both physically and spiritually, during these difficult times.In his trio of books, Cecil Murphey offers spiritual hope and help for people whose loved ones are facing Alzheimer’s disease, drug abuse, & mental illness.Each book contains short devotionals to help the reader focus on God in the midst of trials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Encouragement
Cecil Murphey's "When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's" is exactly what it claims to be -- a source of daily encouragement. It offers honest and open feelings along with a sense of companionship by recognizing that we are not alone in having those feelings. It gives Scriptures to remind us of God's presence and provision, and a short prayer to focus our attention on the One who can provide all we need -- whatever that may be for the day or situation. Ideas and adjustments for coping are given that offer hope...

I highly recommend this devotional book for anyone who is on the journey of caring for someone with Alzheimer's or related diseases. It would be a wonderful gift of encouragement.

A Whole Lot More
With Alzheimer's, my first thought was, There's nothing we can do. This book helped me see how wrong I was. With his daily encouragements, Cecil Murphey reveals many ways to reach out to a loved one who doesn't even know who we are. The truth is, there's a whole lot that we can and should do.

Linda Evans Shepherd (Colorado)
Thank you Cecil for writing this wonderful book.It's pure love, compassion and encouragement.

If alzheimers is robbing your loved one of his or her memory, this book will help you remember you are not alone.

You're not alone
On a retreat with Restored To Serve, a ministry I'm involved in,we used this and two other books by Cecil Murphy to open dialogue between all of us.As we read page after page someone would say, "I really need to read this whole book."

What we got was that the books let us know there were others going through the same things we were.Those who are caring for elderly people who have their "moments" were helped and we read and found comfort in the pages of When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's.

Compassionate, caring, and practical!
As with all of Cecil Murphey's books, this talented author writes with a simple beauty that speaks to the reader's heart. These brief, one-page devotionals will strengthen and encourage those who care for loved ones with Alzheimer's, and will help them through that "long goodbye." ... Read more

Book Description
This illustrated guide uses straight talk for patients and their families coping with Alzheimer's. More than 150 full-color illustrations help explain the disease, its causal factors, and practical strategies for caring for patients. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Understanding Alzheimer's
John Medina, Ph.D. not only authored this detailed, concise book about Alzheimer's Disease, but also drew the terrific graphics describing the various aspects of the disease.

Medina spends quite a bit of timeexplaining the "biology of Alzheimer's Disease" which can get quitetechnical.But, if you are interested in how the brain and nerve cells areaffected, as well as other physical aspects of the disease, you will lovethese sections.His graphics are superb.My other favorite chapters dealwith understanding difficult behavior, suggesting helpful, personalinterventions, and offering practical advice for helping with the activities of daily living for a person with Alzheimer's Disease.

Inshort, the book is wonderfully designed, clearly detailed, and touchinglycompassionate. ... Read more

Book Description
Offers guidance, comfort, and hope to all whose lives are touched by the devastation of Alzheimer's disease. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insight Into The Caregiver's Journey
You see chapter headings like: Accepting the Diagnosis, Beginning to Cope, Finding Support, Achieving Compassion, and Questions and Answers about Alzheimer's.My expectations were then for a factual book dealing with the emotional issues of the disease.It was a shock to open the pages and see the poetry format.
These might make good discussion starters for an Alzheimer's support group.Topics like grief or anger make the reader think about their reaction to the changes going on.
Probably I'd have given this more stars if the cover had prepared me for what was inside. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

useful, straightforward look at a tough topic
I read this book to my son's first grade class today. The pictures seemed to speak to the children. Some had known elderly relatives with similarly vacant looks in their eyes. The one page length answers to questions were perfect for this age group. The answers are straightforward. No false happy endings here and the children appreciated that.And the images of older people cuddling with grandchildren were reassuring. We screened several other books before choosing this one. My son chose it over others because "it felt true". ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

With his first memoir, Losing My Mind, Thomas DeBaggio stunned readers by laying bare his faltering mind in a haunting and beautiful meditation on the centrality of memory to human life, and on his loss of it to early-onset Alzheimer's disease. In this second extraordinary narrative, he confronts the ultimate loss: that of life. And as only DeBaggio could, he treats death as something to honor, to marvel at, to learn from.

Charting the progression of his disease with breathtaking honesty, DeBaggio deftly describes the frustration, grief, and terror of grappling with his deteriorating intellectual faculties. Even more affecting, the prose itself masterfully represents the mental vicissitudes of his disease -- DeBaggio's fragments of memory, observation, and rumination surface and subside in the reader's experience much as they might in his own mind. His frank, lilting voice and abundant sense of wonder bind these fragments into a fluid and poetic portrait of life and loss.

Over the course of the book, DeBaggio revisits many of the people, places, and events of his life, both in his memory and in fact. In a sense, he is saying goodbye, paying his respects to the world as it recedes from him -- and it is a poignant irony that even as this happens, he is at the height of his remarkable descriptive powers. In his moments of clarity, his love for life's details only grows deeper and richer: the limestone creek where he has fished for years; his satisfying and lonely herb farming days; the goldfish pond his son designed and built in his backyard in honor of DeBaggio's passion for "any hole in the ground with some liquid in it"; the thirty years in his beloved home in Arlington, Virginia; his early career as a muckraker; the innumerable precious moments spent with his wife and son; his belated grief over his parents' deaths.

Adeptly navigating between elegy and celebration, fear and determination, confusion and clarity, DeBaggio delivers an exquisitely moving and inspiring book that will resonate with all those who have grappled with their own or their loved ones' memory loss and with death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I REALLY LIKED THIS ONE
I really liked this one. It tells about the story of a 57 year of man who has Alzheimers,his love of gardening, his wife, son, love of cats,and his Italian family roots. It was a nice story about a man dealing with the disease and his family. I read this book in one night. Well written and a great choice of words. Parts of this book took me back to the old days when he talks of his family.

When it Gets Dark
Book illustrates that people with alzheimer's are human. Baggio , an Alzhiemer's victim) takes us on a journey of his life long affair with gardening. This sensitvely chronicles an ordinairy life as being something special. It lets us know that all of our lives are special and to be handled with care.This reader developed a bond with the author through his well chosen words.Worth reading if you are pre-disposed to alzheimer's though family history, have it or know someone who does.This is a delightfully sensitive and artistic book on a dreadful disease.It certainly helps with coping with it. ... Read more