Alzheimers is a memory-robbing, debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans. For most families, having just one member afflicted with Alzheimers disease can be devastating. In her poignant memoir, Cynthia Young shares her story of love and devotion as she learns how to care for four family members stricken with Alzheimers disease over a ten-year period. Young narrates a journey filled with laughter, challenges, and sorrow as she commutes from California to Michigan to care for her mother, two aunts, and a cousin. She provides insight into how the disease progresses and gradually destroys the memory and abilities to learn, reason, make sound judgments, communicate, and carry out daily activities. While sharing her personal story and detailing how she overcame each obstacle along the way, Young also teaches other caregivers how to use valuable resources, navigate the court system as a guardian and conservator, handle the Alzheimers personality, and search for an assisted-living facility. Memoirs of a Caregiver shares one womans inspiring story of unconditional love and courage with the hope that it will encourage and empower other caregivers to be diligent, strong, and, most importantly, to never give up. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be directed to the Alzheimers Association.

Ann Burack-Weiss explores a rich variety of published memoirs by authors who cared for ill or disabled family members. The text will offer insight and comfort to individuals caring for a loved one and is a valuable resource for all healthcare professionals.

When Judith Henry's mother and father became ill in 2007, even her reputation as a pragmatist, a planner and a dutiful daughter (her father's term) couldn't prepare her for what lay ahead - a long list of concerns that included navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system, addressing financial and legal issues, dealing with stress and family dynamics, choosing a rehab center, and ultimately, making hospice arrangements.Doing what came naturally to her, she captured these experiences on paper - writing about what worked and what didn't; about finding humor in the oddest places; and the ways in which the past, present and future often intersect.As Judith looks back at her childhood, and reveals intimate stories about assisting both her parents years later, she also shares practical suggestions and critical information on topics every son and daughter should know as their own caregiving journey begins.

In this thought-provoking memoir, Nancy Gerber maps the wrenching terrain of caring for an elderly parent. In the fall of 1995, at the age of 73, the author's father suffered a massive stroke on the right side of the brain, rendering him permanently disabled. This catastrophic event plunged the author and her family into a crisis for which they were completely unprepared, one that included financial worries; the need to hire full-time, live-in help; and the specter of putting her father into a nursing home.

“. . . an engaging exploration of duty, guilt, and self-preservation. . . . A cleareyed consideration of difficult ethical and familial choices.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS Rachel likes to think of herself as a nice Jewish girl, dedicated to doing what’s honorable, just as her parents raised her to do. But when her husband, David, survives a plane crash and is left with severe brain damage, she faces a choice: will she dedicate her life to caring for a man she no longer loves, or walk away? Their marriage had been rocky at the time of the accident, and though she wants to do the right thing, Rachel doesn’t know how she is supposed to care for two kids in addition to a now irrational, incontinent, and seizure-prone grown man. And how will she manage to see her lover? But then again, what kind of selfish monster would refuse to care for her disabled husband, no matter how unhappy her marriage had been? Rachel wants to believe that she can dedicate her life to David’s needs, but knows in her heart it is impossible. Crash tackles a pervasive dilemma in our culture: the moral conflicts individuals face when caregiving for a disabled or cognitively impaired family member.

The Caregiver's Guide to the Universe is a narrative revealing the humorous and unorthodox methods my father used to care for my mother after she developed early-onset Alzheimer's disease in her late forties. Although he was uneducated and semiliterate, he used his superpowers to care for her 24/7 for over a quarter of a century before her death on the outside finally caught up with her death on the inside. As she metamorphosed, he kept his love alive through music and teenage love notes. He survived tragedy as a teenager, tragedy with his cherished wife, and somewhere in between, he taught my siblings and I the true meaning of life by weaving across the lines between reality and dreams. According to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), over five million Americans have Alzheimer's and one to four family members act as caregivers for each individual with the disease. The Caregiver's Guide to the Universe fills a much needed niche being a true story of an ordinary man in love with the memory of someone without one. Wildly popular novels on Alzheimer's such as Still Alice and The Notebook continue to fascinate readers. The true love story portrayed in this memoir will not only fascinate them, it will inspire them.

Bobbi Carducci's life was about to change. Her ill father-in-law 's odd behavior was a mystery when he came to live with her and Mike. For the next seven years Bobbi did everything she could to save him from himself-while he tried to convince everyone that he didn't need her and that she was crazy. "Brutally honest and written from the heart, Carducci's intimate chronicle of caring for her father-in-law is a poignant story of strength, compassion, and humor that will linger with you long after you read the last page. Highly recommended for anyone caring for an elderly parent." Jan Neuharth, author of the Hunt Country Suspense novels "Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver, perfectly encapsulates the human experience, not just the caregiver's. When we live in a world of worry, stress and self-doubt, where do we find the strength to go on? Bobbi's retelling of her caregiving years unfolds in a beautiful answer to the questions posed by sickness, health, care, and loss." Alexandra Axel, Media Director, The Caregiver Space Bobbi is an award winning author and multi published short story writer. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and publications, in print and online. Bobbi's website and blog can be found at www.bobbicarducci.com and theimperfectcaregiver.com. Bobbi also blogs monthly for TheCaregiverSpace.org and AgingCare.com.