Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey

Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey
Author: Jolene Brackey
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2016-11-15
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1612494838

The beloved best seller has been revised and expanded for the fifth edition. Jolene Brackey has a vision: that we will soon look beyond the challenges of Alzheimer's disease to focus more of our energies on creating moments of joy. When people have short-term memory loss, their lives are made up of moments. We are not able to create perfectly wonderful days for people with dementia or Alzheimer's, but we can create perfectly wonderful moments, moments that put a smile on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes. Five minutes later, they will not remember what we did or said, but the feeling that we left them with will linger. The new edition of Creating Moments of Joy is filled with more practical advice sprinkled with hope, encouragement, new stories, and generous helpings of humor. In this volume, Brackey reveals that our greatest teacher is having cared for and loved someone with Alzheimer's and that often what we have most to learn about is ourselves.

Creating Moments of Joy

Creating Moments of Joy
Author: Jolene Brackey
Publisher:
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2003
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781557533661

This book offers many ways to create moments of joy. No matter what the environment or situation is, this book will be a positive tool on a daily basis. This book breaks down the learning process into five sections. Within those five sections are smaller steps. At the end of each step is a place to journal thoughts, ideas, solutions and treasures. With this journal, many moments of joy will be created.

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's
Author: Joanne Koenig Coste
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2004-09-08
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0547526822

A guide to more successful communication for the millions of Americans caring for someone with dementia: “Offers a fresh approach and hope.”—NPR Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between care partners and patients and has proven successful with thousands of people living with dementia. Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s also offers hundreds of practical tips, including how to: · cope with the diagnosis and adjust to the disease’s progression · help the patient talk about the illness · face the issue of driving · make meals and bath times as pleasant as possible · adjust room design for the patient’s comfort · deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression “A fine addition to Alzheimer's and caregiving collections.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Promises to transform not only the lives of patients but those of care providers…This book is a gift.”—Sue Levkoff, coauthor of Aging Well

A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease

A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease
Author: Roger A. Brumback, MD
Publisher: Demos Medical Publishing
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1934559008

An estimated 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. That number continues to grow - by 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer's could range from 11.3 million to 16 million. Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. It is a devastating disorder of the brain's nerve cells that impairs memory, thinking, and behavior. Written for patients, their families, and caregivers, A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier will help readers understand what is physically happening to the brain so they can empower their own special skills and talents throughout the disease process. The book is divided into three sections that correspond to the progression of Alzheimer's and the unique challenges encountered at each stage. Section A: The major part of the book divides the progression of the disease into Stages: the Pre-Clinical Stage; Early-To-Mild Stage, which marks the onset of the disease; Moderate Stage; and the Severe Stage. Hundreds of practical tips geared to coping and compensating at each level of the disease provide support for the affected individual and the caregiver. Section B: A bonus section of questions and answers addresses specific issues caregivers face and give them points to reflect on as they continue the process. Key topics covered include: Legal and financial issues Family Forums in the caregiving process The role of medication at various stages of the disease Helping children understand what is happening to a loved one Handling the holidays and celebrations Making the living environment more stimulating and enjoyable Section C: Lists resources and suggests websites to find additional information about the disease itself as well as related valuable networks. With an abundance of pointers and guidelines for affected individuals, their families, friends and caregivers, A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier is essential for all readers who want to focus on the capabilities that remain instead of those that have been lost.

Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade

Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade
Author: Gary Chapman
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2016-09-16
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0802494412

Across America and around the world, the five love languages have revitalized relationships and saved marriages from the brink of disaster. Can they also help individuals, couples, and families cope with the devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD)? Coauthors Chapman, Shaw, and Barr give a resounding yes. Their innovative application of the five love languages creates an entirely new way to touch the lives of the five million Americans who have Alzheimer’s, as well as their fifteen million caregivers. At its heart, this book is about how love gently lifts a corner of dementia’s dark curtain to cultivate an emotional connection amid memory loss. This collaborative, groundbreaking work between a healthcare professional, caregiver, and relationship expert will: Provide an overview of the love languages and Alzheimer’s disease, correlate the love languages with the developments of the stages of AD, discuss how both the caregiver and care receiver can apply the love languages, address the challenges and stresses of the caregiver journey, offer personal stories and case studies about maintaining emotional intimacy amidst AD. Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade is heartfelt and easy to apply, providing gentle, focused help for those feeling overwhelmed by the relational toll of Alzheimer’s. Its principles have already helped hundreds of families, and it can help yours, too.

Talking to Alzheimer's

Talking to Alzheimer's
Author: Claudia Strauss
Publisher:
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2001
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN:

Simple ways to connect when you visit with a family member or friend.

The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care

The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care
Author: Virginia Bell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2003
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9781878812353

The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care shows how easily you can make a difference in the life of a family member or client in your care. Here's the help you've been looking for: families will gain a renewed sense of hope, nursing facility staff will find simple applications for resident care, adult day center staff can enrich programming and attract more volunteers, and individuals with emerging Alzheimer's disease will gain valuable insights. Learn new ways to solve problems, encourage positive behavior, and improve communications. Make every day consistently reassuring, enjoyable, and secure.

The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer's Family

The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer's Family
Author: Robert B. Santulli, MD
Publisher: Dartmouth College Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2015-03-22
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1611687454

Alzheimer's disease is a growing public health crisis. According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are 5.4 million victims of this disease; by 2050, there will be close to 15 million people who suffer from this debilitating disorder of memory, thinking, personality, and functioning. The disease profoundly affects immediate family members, close friends, and neighbors. These people - the Alzheimer's family - undergo tremendous psychological and emotional change as they witness the cruel and relentless progression of the disease in their loved one. Incorporating over thirty years of experience with Alzheimer's patients and their families with current medical knowledge, the authors chart the complex emotional journey of the Alzheimer's family from the onset of the disease through the death of the loved one. They discuss the anger that rises in the face of discordant views of the disease, the defenses that emerge when family members are unwilling to accept a dementia diagnosis, and the common emotions of anxiety, guilt, anger, and shame. They focus especially on grief as the core response to losing a loved one to dementia, and describe the difficult processes of adaptation and acceptance, which lead to personal growth. Final chapters emphasize the importance of establishing a care community and how to understand and cope with personal stress. This volume will be useful to medical professionals and ordinary people close to or caring for a person with dementia.

The 36-Hour Day

The 36-Hour Day
Author: Nancy L. Mace
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2021-08-10
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1421441705

The 36-Hour Day is the definitive dementia care guide.

My Bert Has Alzheimer's

My Bert Has Alzheimer's
Author: Paula de Ronde
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2022-01-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1039129234

My Bert Has Alzheimer’s is an intimate, detailed account of a wife’s experience with her husband’s dementia. As Paula de Ronde quickly learned, life for two people — patient and caregiver - is thrown into disarray with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Ambushed by the disease, it is a journey into the unknown, but one that features an abundance of love, hope, and support. There is no shying away from the horror of the disease, but its awfulness doesn’t strip from the experience of the powerful companions that accompany those enduring it — namely, love, laughter, and community. Thrust into the caregiver role for her other half who used to be her equal and best buddy, making all kinds of decisions together, Paula now enters a new world of uncertainty and chaos. There is no roadmap. Instead she learns that the disease is as individual as each person who contracts it. Here is a caregiver’s poignant and revealing story of the mental, physical, and emotional stress of caring for the love of her life, her Bert, as he gives over to his neurological disease. The caregiver’s life is far from easy. Yet fueled by love, which never wanes, each step of the way is handled with grace and the help of care partners. Alzheimer’s steals memories but also gives teaching moments. As the disease progresses Paula learns to be more tolerant, patient, compassionate and accepting of human frailties. Alzheimer’s releases an inner strength. She meets each challenge, finds a solution to each issue that arises, then passes on her new-found knowledge to others. She learns the value of having a support group. Alzheimer’s cements the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. Together she and her Bert become stronger than the disease. With humour, compassion, wisdom, and deep feeling, she describes this slice of their conjoined lives. More than a record of the impact of a disease this is, at its essence, also a love story.