Dementia Books

This book is a valuable resource to anyone who is caring for an elderly family member. While reading the often funny, always touching, occasionally horrifying memoir, I learned so much about caring for my aging mother. This is rich with advice, examples, and brilliance. Thank you, Jackie, for sharing your story with us. I will buy more copies and give them to my friends whose parents are approaching the age where they'll need some care. I am also now taking assessment of my own behaviors as I get older; I don't want any of my bad habits following me into my golden years! It is clear from your Jake Tales that these habits may become exaggerated as we get older and I don't want my kids to have to deal with me if I'm going to be difficult

This is an excellent book for those who find themselves frustrated by the behavior of elders who are suffering from just enough dementia to be wreaking havoc, but not enough to be institutionalized. I read the book in one evening because I was desperate to learn how I might deal with an elder's belligerent outbursts, illogical thinking and unwillingness to accept help. The author faced similar issues with her father and her examples rang 100% true to me. At the end of the book, the author provides specific techniques and tips for modifying the elder's behavior. I tried some of her suggestions the very next day, and it worked! The sense of calm that I gained, knowing that I now had a "toolkit" of resources and ideas from this book, was invaluable to me. Save your sanity - get this book if you are dealing with demented elders now, or think you might be in the near future!

As a professional caregiver coordinator for a local Area Agency on Aging I read a lot of books on caregiving and Alzheimer's disease. This is the best book I have read on the subject. The story is told with humor, but it is full of excellent tips and education on the subject. A must read if you are a caregiver caring for an Alzheiemr's loved one.

I got this wonderful book about a year after my mom passed. I still refer to it so much that it is dog-eared, for information, resources and to enjoy Jackie's humorous writing style. (Okay, I admit it, I stole her idea of quoting artists and thanking them!!! I thought that was brilliant and it added a whole new dimension of enjoyment of the book for me!!!)

The book really helped me understand that the many feelings I went through while my mom was ill were NOT abnormal, and that my attempts to help were not in vain, although with this resource, I could have figured out even more and better things to do - - especially calling in APS early on. I truly think my mom's frequent infections were caused by lack of cleanliness at home and I COULD NOT get my parents to accept help with cleaning. I even hired a geriatric care manager, who recommended services that my parents would not accept. I think I would have been able to get them to accept a lot more services had I read this book first - - or at least I would have had some ideas to try.

I had the additional drawback of living 1500 miles from my parents, which is why I ended up hiring a geriatric manager (who saved MY life by just BEING there so many times when I needed someone to talk to, which Jackie points out is so important - - to have people to talk to about the elder you are caring for.) But I found that even on two extended trips to be with my family, I was unable to get the concrete results I wanted. That's why I think involving professionals, such as APS and the police, would have been so helpful if I'd thought of it at that time.

In a nutshell, this book made me feel like I was hearing from a very dear and knowledgeable friend with reassurance on a most confusing and difficult situation. I continue in my quest for info on elder care, but this remains far and away the most helpful and most enjoyable book I have read on the subject. Thanks Jackie!!!

This is a good book for anyone trying to help elderly parents. I found the style of writing, relating all things to old tv shows, sometimes distracting and confusing but the information in the book was so worth the read. It gave me strength and focus on dealing with my Mom. I am still continuing to find resources through this book and it is really a valuable tool.

This book is full of information that has helped our family understand and support our family member who has memory problems.

This book has many useful suggestions and shows a deep understanding of the challenges of caregiving for someone with dementia. It was comforting to read the short descriptions of situations and how to react to them. It made me less irritable with caring for my relative. I plan to get another copy to have available for when I meet other people who face the same issues.

A truly remarkable and instructional guide for care givers of people with dementia or alzheimers. So much of what was going on in my mother's life at this stage, began to make sense to me and I was better prepared to help her. Great book!

Nuria Fernandez
Chicago

An extremely helpful book for those who are experiencing dementia and/or Alzheimer's with a loved one. You are not alone! And all those strange things that are happening are not out of the ordinary for the condition. This book covers the basics, and provides helpful suggestions for living with, caring for, and coping with dementia and your love one.

This is an excellent book. It is written in a warm and caring manner which is easy to understand. It is full of information not just for anyone dealing with a dementia patient, but for anybody who is caring for another person, (or who may think at some point they will). It covers subjects which apply to the caring of anyone who is ill and/or elderly, even if it is not dementia. I would recommend this book to anyone, before they are faced with the illness. I wish I'd read it sooner, but better late than never. Absolutely a great book, it should be in every library. I plan to buy 2 copies for my library, I will definitely NOT donate mine. I can't say enough good things about this book.

Nearly five million in the U.S. live with Alzheimer's, and the author is a child of an Alzheimer's sufferer - a journalist who signs on as a caregiver at an Alzheimer's facility in response to her mother's illness to better understand the condition. Her memoir provides insights into the field of dementia care and offers many poignant survival tactics and even a hopeful story. Highly recommended for both health and general interest lending libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if it was available. This story was moving and funny all at once. I just thought it was a little long. It gives you a real inside look at Alzheimer's and you see that even in the midst of their dieses they have a life and are still people. I really enjoyed getting to know the people of Maplewood. This is a great story for anyone who is dealing with or knows someone or has an interest in Alzheimer's.

After much deliberation, praying and consideration, my brothers and I recently moved my mother, who is in the late stages of Alzheimers, away from her home of 39 years to an Alzheimers facility. The anticipation was so much worse than the actual move. My mother has never looked back, and loves the facility because of her interaction with others. Lauren's book really opened my eyes, and I praise her for her work. My mother's facility also has a lady who carries two dolls around, and now I understand!!!

When I was told my Mother had early stage altzheimers I was at sea. I bought three books on the subject and while each had a different "slant" for those who are watching this terrible disease they were very helpful in finding out what was happening and what I could expect. This book, tho but everything into human terms. It is a companion book to "Learning to Speak Altheizmers" . I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to learn more about what happens to a family member as they go on this journey.

This book really touched me in many, many ways. From the personal level, the relating to Lauren's job, and in the residents that Lauren took care of. Sometimes I had to put the book down from a few minutes--to a few hours to allow me time to reflect. Thank you Lauren for sharing your experiences with us the reader. I look at Alzheimer's disease in a better, deeper way then before I read this book. :)

This book has given me some help on things to think about with my aging parents.

Read "The Retirement Nightmare" by Dr. Diane Armstrong. Get the real truth about the fraud and abuse of the elderly and not so elderly. To avoid a professional guardianship, should be of paramount importance. Reports of guardians stealing from their wards' bank accounts and other wise abusing guardianship powers are surfacing with disturbing regularity. 'This problem is going to get bigger and bigger,' says E. Bentley Lipscomb, AARP's Florida state director and a former state secretary of elder affairs. - GUARDIANS DRAWING INCREASED SCRUTINY, AARP Bulletin.

Virginia Morris nails it with this comprehensive volume. She addresses every issue I've faced as a caregiver and more. Her sensitivity and caring shine through every page, and she's packed the book with useful information.

If you're caring for aging parents, start here. "How to Care for Aging Parents" stands head and shoulders above other general caregiving books.

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D.
author, "How to Find Great Senior Housing"
and
"128 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's and Other Dementias"

Taking care of my 90 yr old Grandmother was so difficult. This book gave me so much insight on area's that I had no understanding of. Also helped point me in the right direction to planning at the end.

This book is exceptional. The author includes all specifics needed to apply the valuable information provided throughout the book...including phone numbers and addresses. Not only did the book help my husband and I prepare to care for our own parents, reading it has helped us prepare for our own aging process. The information will make things as easy as possible for our single child when we become the "Aging Parents". This book is a must have. I bought one for each of my siblings and also copies for good friends who are also caring for elderly parents.

By now what might be called the deadly-disease memoir is a standard literary genre: the successful, happy man or woman laid low by a fatal ailment, soldiering on against all odds. Thomas Graboys' new book about living with Parkinson's disease silences cynicism about yet another entry into the sweepstakes. Besides being a man of much more than average gifts, material wealth, looks and success, he writes from the perspective of someone whose entire identity was shaped by being a medical doctor, a brilliant cardiologist, someone whose life's work was to take care of others. All this is now lost to him and he admits, with frequently bruising candor, the emotional cost to him and his family.

Dr. Graboys' particular case of Parkinson's, as he explains, involves actual dementia, and although the book was written with the aid of a co-author, nevertheless the signs of mental difficulty are evident in the short-windedness and occasional repetitiveness of the writing. Several dozen pages are devoted not to Graboys' own writing but to passages contributed by his siblings, his children and their in-laws, passages the author did not screen in advance of their inclusion. What would be defects in another book here are in themselves touching, clear evidence of the author's ongoing struggle to maintain some sense of self-worth and productivity. He does not spare himself, dissecting in painful detail the ravages his progressive disease, and his occasional denial of its seriousness, has inflicted on his second marriage. (He did not reveal to his spouse at the time of his wedding that he was already suffering from Parkinson's, and it is perhaps significant that his wife does not contribute any writing of her own.) By the end of this volume the reader is shattered, drained, but also moved and uplifted by Dr. Graboys' resilience and optimism in the face of the darkest odds.

I was inspired by reading Dr. Graboy's story. The one thing I found disconcerting was his continued driving. I know he wants his independence but even if he drives only to two local places he could injure himself or someone else on the way.

Fascinating memoir of the same illnes my relative is enduring. I intend to share this with everyone i know who has a loved one with lewy body dementia. We must all live life to the fullest now, while are brains are healthy. Dr. Graboys' story is one of how love and humanity are possible beyond that, long into this illness. Beautiful!

Any general-interest library or health collection needs LIFE IN THE BALANCE: A PHYSICIAN'S MEMOIR OF LIFE, LOVE, AND LOSS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA. The author is both a doctor and patient, at the peak of his career at age forty-nine when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson's and dementia. His memoir is revealing and insightful - and considers Parkinson's from the rare vantage point of both patient and doctor.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Tom Graboys offers sensitive and poignant insight into a devastating disease that afflicts millions as patients, family and caregivers. Being married to a fellow academic physician, world renowned and respected, who suffers from Parkinsonism, I miss my spouse's wise counsel as the "go-to"- person described by Graboys, who continues to be a comforting, wise healer. This book fills that gap a bit by honestly describing the agony of the disease and how to cope with certain loss of self as previously known.

My only regret is that I did not know the helpful insights and ideas from this book while my mother was living. My mother from Ames, Iowa, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 66 and died at age 76 in 1999. We could have loved her better if we had understood her. I have shared the book with others whom I know are struggling with the gamut of questions and frustrations of caring for loved ones. Creating Moments of Joy gives practical answers to situations all of us have encountered or surely will. I have personal stories from the years we watched my mother slowly lose herself to the disease. Some stories are funny and some are tragic. All are precious. If I should ever develop dementia, I pray my family and my caregivers will read Jolene's marvelous book. If I should have occasion to assist another on this journey, I now will be beter able to support the person with the digmity and compassion he or she so deserves.

Thank you, Jolene,
Marcia Snook
Parker, Colorado

This book is amazing! Jolene Brackey really understands the disease and how to handle it. I work in an Memory Care Community and would love to give a copy to every member of our staff as well as those on my waiting list. Incredibly informative and such a pleasure to read.

This book is absolutely wonderful. Jolene has so much insight into this health issue and how caregivers and family need to relate to these patients. It is an extremely helpful book.

I can't say enough about this book! After reading it the first time, I bought additional copies for all my family members. It's practical, attitude adjusting, touching, inspirational and is something I read over and over again. My parents moved in with my husband and I share the caregiving for my mother who has Alzheimers with my Dad. It completely changed how I handle each situation, how I structure our days and enhanced my love for my parents, because it is all abut creating moments of joy. I encourage anyone who is beginning the Alzheimers journey with a family member or friend to read this book - often! It is a must read to encourage you and make you look at this journey in a different light. It's an easy read, broken into short chapters that you can thumb through easily as a future reference. If you have any questions, email me at carlateagarden@charter.net.

I have read so many books about this terrible disease and know first hand how much it impacts the entire group of family and friends around those who have dementia. I wanted to find a way to not only understand what my Mother was going through, but also to be able to bring a smile once again to her beautiful face. I wanted to care for the body as well as the spirit. Jolene Brackey has given me the tools to create that smile. The easy to read format allows me to carry the book in my purse and read (and reread) a chapter whenever I have a few minutes. Rather than presenting all "doom and gloom" about this disease, Jolene offers tips and stories that bring a smile to my face and allows me to give my Mother the same joy. Any caregiver will tell you that having a chance to smile is truly a gift and being able to bring happiness (even if for only a moment) to your loved one is "priceless." I plan to order several copies of this book as gifts for the holidays.

This book was very easy to read and contained a lot of practical tips on a wide variety of subjects. I liked the tips on how to make items yourself, cutting costs on things like hair washing aids and for making your home safe and navigable. The simple illustrations make the instructions easy to follow and the abundance of listed resources for more information and support was a nice bonus.

"...a masterful job of presenting the multiple aspects of caregiving in a format that is both comprehensive and reader-friendly. The important focus on physical aspects of giving care are missing from many other publications in this category."

I am an Illinois legal aid attorney and owner of Southwest Medicals, an online medical supply and equipment business. If you are planning on providing home healthcare for a famiy member, you need this helpful book. The cost saving tips are especially useful. I also recommend the American Medical Association's Guide to Home Caregiving by Angela Perry.

I am the Director of The Waud Patient and Family Resource Center based out of Rush Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. I am a nurse by career choice, and a caregiver by nature. I have provided home care and hospice care to a number of family members. I found this book useful to teach family members how to take care of someone at home. It has clear illustrations, step by step instructions for those tasks caregivers do every day, and a resource listing for those items that help make the job easier. It also has introductions to other areas of care which are very informative. This book empowers people without any healthcare education or experience to understand the mechanics of taking care of another person - no matter where they live. If you have family in a nursing home, this book will help you evaluate the care they receive. Both personally and professionally I would recommend this book to any person with a loved one who needs care.

It is a 'must have' resource and tool for anyone assuming or considering the caregiver role.

This really is the story of a journey, told in a way that makes it a gripping story, much like a novel. Harrison Hoblitzelle, known as Hob, is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease as we begin. His wife tells the tale, but shares a great deal in his words of what he was experiencing. Both are teachers and practitioners of Buddhist philosophy and meditation, as well as fans of great literature. The book is laced with famous quotations, guided meditations and visits to spiritual leaders for help dealing with what is happening. Hob hangs on as well as he can, but the disease erodes his memory and his ability to speak. Often he considers suicide to avoid the late stages. Olivia shares her own struggles to live in the moment and to give Hob all the help he needs without losing herself. Hob does die in the end. The reader knows that from the beginning. The question is how it will happen. This is a beautiful book, very comforting to those living with the disease, and loaded with helpful exercises and resources.

Better late than never! I would have been so very, very grateful if I had read this book before I lost my best friend, my son, and my husband, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease for 35 years. Olivia, a childhood friend of mine, artfully and sensitively carries her readers through the difficult journey of illness and death from the perspective of the patient as well as the caregiver. She gives her readers the courage and insight to go where most of us fear to tread. I have shared this book with others, all of whom are as grateful as I am. Thank you, Olivia.

As someone who is currently traversing the dark and difficult territory of a loved one's struggle with Alzheimer's, I can't say enough about this brave, honest, and illuminating book. Without ever being sentimental, it offers a very profound form of consolation, encouraging us simultaneously to bring as much clarity as we can to the process of the mind's disintegration/while remembering that what we most truly are is something that transcends the organic gray matter of the brain. After receiving a copy of the book myself, I ordered copies for two friends whose husbands are facing early-onset Alzheimers. And I also made reference to it in an upcoming article ("Awake and Demented") for Tricycle Magazine.
I am profoundly grateful to Olivia H.--not to speak of her late husband Hob--for this beautiful and inspiring book.
Noelle Oxenhandler

Alzheimers - a dreaded, overwhelming diagnosis for any one, any family, to have to face. In her beautifully written book, Olivia Hoblitzelle reaches out a hand of support to all those dealing with mental loss. We are given insight into what a person with dementia experiences through the actual words and reflections of Olivia's husband. In the midst of the sadness, fear, and loss, we are reminded of the opportunities for connection, reconnection and humor. Even if meditation is not your chosen path, this book contains helpful and inspiring suggestions for transforming the constant demands of caretaking into a 'practice' of loving kindness and compassion - for your loved one and, equally importantly, for yourself as caregiver. Beyond being a useful resource, this book is a deeply moving love story that is compelling to read.

I found this book to be beautifully and sensitively written. The author's long experience and
loving attention to her subject is moving and forceful. I treasure this book, have read it twice
and will doubtless refer to it often.

The book begins by pointing out that sometimes people and it seems even doctors mistake depression or other health problems which can be treated successful for Alzheimer's disease which may be untreatable.

He then offers a ten step plan for prevention of memory loss, which consists of proper diet, as well as daily physical and mental exercise. Some nutrients that have been found useful for better functioning of the brain are blueberries, spinach, and other fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, almonds and other nutrients rich in vitamin E, less salt in diet, as well as general nutrition that contributes to low cholesterol and normal blood pressure. High blood pressure and high cholesterol seem to be detrimental to memory. He further suggests cutting the quantity of food people consume, perhaps in half. Fasting is good. Daily physical exercise envigorates the entire body including the brain. As as the saying goes "use it or lose it", constant mental stimulation, learning new things, solving puzzles, challenging oneself intellectually in different ways through reading or even calculating totals in one's head when grocery shopping are all helpful to keep the brain active and in good shape throughout one's life.

I found this book extremly useful and easy to read... it covered the latest research on brain and memory, in addition to giving tips on how to prevent memory loss..
Dr. Fotuhi's credentials are very impressive and I hope he will continue passing on his expertise to us as he has in this book

I met Dr Fotuhi at an aging seminar. He was the keynote speaker and I gave the lunch hour presentation on another related but non-medical topic. I visited with Dr. Fotuhi during a break. I asked him about the benefit of anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen because he had discussed how brain plaque was a contributing factor for Alzheimer's. He told they had a beneficial affect. However, a daily regimen of ibuprofen would never be recommended due to the so-called risks of stomach irritation.

He gave me a passionate account of his tests of rats involving adding blueberries to their diets. He said the results were phenomenal and that his family has a serving of blueberries with their breakfast most mornings. He recommended that I do the same.

He's a very impressive man and I suggest you see him live if you ever have the opportunity.

I'm not a doctor. This information is not medical advice. I simply wanted to recount an interesting and relevant conversation I had with the doctor.

This recently released book on Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most reader friendly book I've come across in quite a while. I've seen this book first-hand, and it is impressive. It describes the complicated neurology of the brain in an easy to follow manner. Also, Dr. Fotuhi describes (in plain language) the latest AD research findings and discusses their implications. If I had to recommend only two books on Alzheimer's disease for caregivers it would be this one and, "The 36-Hour Day." In contrast to some books on AD, Dr. Fotuhi's book is optimistic. Not only does he describe how AD develops, but more importantly he discusses what people can do to reduce their individual risk factors for developing AD. I find myself constantly recommending this book to all the families of patients participating in AD research projects I coordinate.

So many of us worry about whether we might get this disease.
Dr. Fotuhi says that of the many who fear they may get it, only a
very few will get it.

He describes our brain in a very interesting fashion. He explains how our brain stores our memories, and, what amazes me,
how the brain knows what to store. We all know what we were doing when 9/ll happened. We certainly don't remember what we
were doing on Sept. l0!

It is a fascinating read and teaches us a lot about the brain,
and how to protect ourselves from memory loss, about advances
that are being made toward a cure.

An easy book to read-not too scientific.

This is a great book for anyone dealing with a family member with Alzheimer's. A friend recommended the book just in time.

This book has been a godsend for myself and my family. My Dad was recently diagnoised with Alzheimer's. This book helped me ask intelligent questions when speaking to his doctor. It's a diesease people know so little about. It's very helpful in helping determine what type of doctor a alzheimer suffer should be seeing and the test available. I wish I'd had this book when we first suspected there maybe a problem. I'm an avid reader and have read many self help books and this has to be one of the most helpful books I have ever read.

I have experience as a Care Manager for an Area Agency on Aging. The Alzheimer's Action Plan is a book that I would highly recommend to families dealing with this disease. The book is not only filled with a plethora of information, it is also easy to reference and easy to understand. Barbara Matthews

For those caring for a loved one with dementia, The Alzheimer's Action Plan is a helpful and hopeful guide to understanding diagnosis and treatment of dementia. But, the chapters on caregiving offer the most important advice on how to normalize life with a loved one suffering from dementia. Written with great wit and wisdom, the authors deliver a rich and easy read. This book will help you if you are living with or caring for a person with dementia.

If only this book had been available to my family when our mom was alive.
As a family, we had so much to learn in order to cope with the dynamic changes that occur with alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Despite the fact that we are a family who has several of us with medical backgrounds, and had a good network of connections, the information was never as clearly outlined and accessable as it is in this book.
Already, I have referred this comforting resource to several others since I purchased it a month ago.
Thank you to the co-authors for creating a book that offers the opportunity of wonderful support for so many who are trying to learn and to deal with this disease process.