Alzheimer's & Dementia: Through the Looking Glass

Book excerpt: Alzheimers & Dementia: Through the Looking Glass, explains in easy to understand nontechnical language the difference between Alzheimers and dementia; discusses issues like driving, hallucinations, delusions, bathing, respite, feeding tubes, hospice, guilt, sexuality, genetics, aging, warning signs, placement or home care, diagnosis, hospice, finding help, emotions and more. Sixty-six columns, and more, from the highly regarded All About Alzheimers feature written by the author and published monthly in Todays Senior Magazine are assembled here to help the family and caregiver through the demanding trials of living with someone who has Alzheimers. Few things are as frustrating and maddening as Alzheimers and caring for someone with the disease is uniquely different from other medical conditions. In time, the patient is unable to help in his own care, even to follow such simple instructions as stand up or sit down, creating a difficult situation for everyone. Perhaps you think when someone forgets, you just remind them; no one forgets their own children, how to eat, dress and use the bathroom! But they do! In this book you will learn the difference between your forgetting a word and remembering it later and the Alzheimers patient who forgets but cannot remember later because the memory is not just momentarily forgottenit no longer exists! If it does not exist, it cannot be recalled. Youll learn things you need to know that will seem counterintuitive and require changes in your normal responses. They are not always easy to use, but they can make life with this disease a bit easier for both the afflicted individuals and those who care for and love them. You will come to understand the basics of the illness, why such bizarre things happen, and how to react to unexpected and on-going problems without making things worse.