Did you ever think of going on a vacation with no idea of where you were going or how long you’d be away—not preparing, not packing, not bringing anything with you? Then, while you’re on this vacation, you don’t know where you are, you’re not sure how you got there, you can’t find a path to follow, and the route ahead is pure fog. You have no idea of where you’re headed, and all you know is that you need to take one step after another just to keep on going. In Sickness and in Health documents such a journey, the author’s personal journey, taken from his wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis until her death. As the disease progressed, the realities of daily life changed as Alzheimer’s stole his wife’s ability to function, her ability to communicate, her personality, and much more. But, while much of the focus is on Beth’s deteriorating condition, this memoir also offers insight into the toll that Alzheimer’s and, by extension, any terminal illness, takes on caregivers and survivors. The emotional roller coaster can be dramatic and can persist well past the death of the patient. But readers are also offered some practical advice about housekeeping items—finances, legal affairs, and considerations around care—each of which must be thought through for both the short and long term. Written from the heart, In Sickness and in Health offers solace to those who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s or other terminal illnesses and assures them that they can get through this most painful time in their lives. It offers a glimpse into a world that we all too often go out of our way to avoid—and some suggestion for navigating it with a little less bewilderment when we can evade it no longer.

Steve Zehr felt life couldn’t get any better when, at age twenty-five, he married a beautiful redheaded actress and model. As part of their marriage vows May 28, 1982, he and Susan promised to stay together in sickness and in health. Of course, they meant those words, but the author never imagined that promise would be tested so fully. Several years into their marriage, it became clear that Susan was suffering from psychological problems. Making matters worse, she was afflicted during a time when admitting you suffered from mental illness was a stigma. Over the next many years, the author would find himself stretched to the limit as a father, husband, and even as a believer in God. At times, the burden simply seemed more than he could handle. But God demonstrated His incredible faithfulness and strength to the author over and over, day after day, month after month, year after year. This is one man’s story of how he believes God directed, sustained, strengthened, and supplied him with what he needed to care for his wife—as well as the toll it took on them both.

“In Sickness and In Health” is a Christian themed self-help guide to Care Giving, from the Care giver’s perspective. Following the Seven Stages of Grief, this guide takes you through all the steps of your journey as a Care Giver and is packed with practical information guiding you in each of the Stages of Grief, to help you make the necessary decisions that come your way. “In Sickness and In Health” covers short-term Care Giving that has minor surgery and the fast recovery, to the Long Term, permanent life changing Care Giving. When you have the crisis occur, the emotions that you have are overwhelming and maybe gut wrenching. You feel buried under a blizzard. This book will help you dig out of that blizzard and allow you to step back and see the whole big picture and be better organized. You will become creative with your care plan options, finding available resources, able to think outside of the box, and become a strong patient advocate. It shows the importance to keep Faith with God and to not give up. You are not in this journey alone.

A frank, humorous exploration of interabled dating, love, and marriage Ben Mattlin’s wife, ML, recalls falling in love with his confidence and sheer determination. On one of their earliest dates, he persuaded her to ride on his lap in his wheelchair on their way home from an Elvis Costello concert. Thirty years later, they still travel like this from time to time, undaunted by the curious stares following them down the street. But In Sickness and in Health is more than an “inspiring” story of how a man born with spinal muscular atrophy—a congenital and incurable neuromuscular condition—survived childhood, graduated from Harvard, married an able-bodied woman, built a family with two daughters and a cat and a turtle, established a successful career in journalism, and lived happily ever after. As Mattlin considers the many times his relationship has been met with surprise or speculation by outsiders—those who consider his wife a “saint” or him just plain “lucky” for finding love—he issues a challenge to readers: why should the idea of an “interabled” couple be regarded as either tragic or noble? Through conversations with more than a dozen other couples of varying abilities, ethnic backgrounds, and orientations, Mattlin sets out to understand whether these pairings are as unusual as onlookers seem to think. Reflecting on his own experience he wonders: How do people balance the stresses of personal-care help with the thrill of romance? Is it possible that the very things that appear to be insurmountable obstacles to a successful relationship—the financial burdens, the physical differences, the added element of an especially uncertain future—could be the building blocks of an enviable level of intimacy and communication that other couples could only dream of? We meet Shane Burcaw, a twenty-three-year-old writer, who offers a glimpse of his first forays into dating with a disability. There’s Rachelle Friedman, the “paralyzed bride,” as the media refers to her, and her husband, discussing the joys and challenges of a new marriage and a growing family. And Christina Crosby and her partner, Janet Jakobsen, reflect on how Crosby’s disabling accident called for them to renegotiate their roles and expectations in their long-term relationship. What emerges is a candid glimpse into the challenges and joys of interabled love—from the first blush of sexual awakening to commitment and marriage and through to widowhood.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

If you want or need to better understand Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other brain disorders; if you are a professional involved in assessment and care; if you are a family or paid carer/caregiver; if you are simply interested and curious about the contribution our brains make to everyday life - then the information you seek is in your hands. This includes: the nature of Alzheimer's disease, other forms of dementia and other disorders of brain function; behaviours and experiences associated with these disorders, including accounts of real people faced with these challenges; the way carers, family, friends and professionals perceive, understand and respond to people with dementia. Don't be daunted by the book's size. There are two parts: the first part provides chapters on many topics, including repetitive behaviour, memory problems, and problems with common sense. Then there are detailed endnotes (optional reading) which provide references and more detail on the issues raised in the body of the book.