Your Name Is Hughes Hannibal Shanks is Lela Knox Shanks’s personal account of caring for her husband, Hughes, in their home after he was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease. Lela describes her initial denial, her discovery of coping skills, her eventual acceptance of his illness, and her ultimate recognition that the key to successful caregiving lies in never losing sight of the patient’s humanness. The book outlines twenty coping and survival strategies to guide caregivers to untapped inner resources and shows caregiving’s intangible rewards of increased self-respect and self-knowledge.

In a youth-oriented culture where old age is almost regarded as the unpardonable sin, there is not much space in our daily lives for the discussion of the one reality that is inescapable - aging. This book brings the good news that discussions about aging can bring new purpose, meaning, and hope to all of life - regardless of your present age. It is a book filled with perspectives and suggestions that can make the advancing years truly golden in the sense of satisfaction, meaning, and fulfillment. Come along with the author (who is 80+ years old) on the journey through this book and see if it was worth the trip. You may be surprised at the number of discoveries and new insights you will find which can enlighten and enliven all of the remaining days of your life. Aging Is Not Optional includes challenging questions for reflection and discussion. It's suitable for individual or small group use, or for a church study.

Reaching nearly 1 million readers monthly, Better Nutrition celebrates 70 years as a leading in-store distributed magazine for health conscious consumers. Widely distributed to thousands of health-food stores and grocery chains across the country, Better Nutrition provides authoritative, well-researched information on food nutrition, dietary concerns, supplements and other natural products.

Historian Jesse F. Ballenger traces the emergence of senility as a cultural category from the late nineteenth century to the 1980s, a period in which Alzheimer's disease became increasingly associated with the terrifying prospect of losing one's self. Changes in American society and culture have complicated the notion of selfhood, Ballenger finds. No longer an ascribed status, selfhood must be carefully and willfully constructed. Thus, losing one's ability to sustain a coherent self-narrative is considered one of life's most dreadful losses. As Ballenger writes "senility haunts the landscape of the self-made man." Stereotypes of senility and Alzheimer's disease are related to anxiety about the coherence, stability, and agency of the self—stereotypes that are transforming perceptions of old age in modern America. Drawing on scientific, clinical, policy, and popular discourses on aging and dementia, Ballenger explores early twentieth-century concepts of aging and the emergence of gerontology to understand and distinguish normal aging from disease. In addition, he examines American psychiatry's approaches to the treatment of senility and scientific attempts to understand the brain pathology of dementia. Ballenger's work contributes to our understanding of the emergence and significance of dementia as a major health issue.

Although Hendershott has spent many years teaching and writing about the sociological aspects of aging, she writes that none of this could have prepared me for the overwhelming challenge of caring for my own mother-in-law in my home. She introduces baby boomers as the unexpected caregivers of the coming decades. The process of family denial about symptoms, work-family conflict, and the unique problems of children of caregivers are explored in an effort to find solutions to the caregiving challenge. Social science research is made accessible and is coupled with anecdotal information gleaned from interactions with other caregivers and personal experience. Throughout the book, Hendershott shows family caregivers that by gaining insight into their motivations for caregiving and by drawing from family support and help from the community, they can move beyond maladaptive caregiving coping styles, to a rewarding reality-based caregiving experience.

2022 Grand Prize Winner CWFL (Christian Writer's for Life) Book Award What is dementia and how does it differ from Alzheimer’s? What are the signs of dementia and how will my loved one progress along the path? What changes in the brain cause the behaviors? This book is your guide for the journey. Dementia Caregiving from a Biblical Perspective: Your Guide for the Journey contains information about the four main types of dementia and is illustrated by stories. It will help prepare you for the future, recognize pitfalls, as well as highlight the joys of each stage of dementia. Drawing from a Biblical perspective, it points to God’s sustaining grace in the midst of a difficult season. One person can make a difference—the most effective care is nurturing love.

Betsy Peterson spent fourteen years caring for her husband who was suffering from dementia, an experience that put her in touch with others inside the struggle to have or to care for someone with the disease. A combination of contributions from patients, their families, friends, and caregivers, Voices of Alzheimer's gathers the poignant stories, funny quotes, and priceless encouragement that Peterson heard and that helped her along the way. Capturing the many dimensions of the Alzheimer experience-the challenges, the struggles, the humor, and even the rewards-aVoices presents a varied, and realistic, look at what it's like to be affected by the disease. With compassion, humor, and grace, it offers the simple advice, wisdom, and understanding of others who have traveled the same uncertain path.