This book is designed to be an easy read for all dealing with someone with Alzheimer's; from the caregiver in the personal home to professional caregivers working in the long term care setting. It includes an overview of dementias as well as ways to cope with behaviors. Communication is also an important aspect covered. Research updates as well as possible resources for the caregiver are included. Activities of daily living and a lifestyle enhancement program are featured. A brief section on the medical side is included but again this book is not designed from the clinical prospective and its focus is toward helping caregivers cope with their current situation of taking care of someone with Alzheimer's. Short summaries of caregivers that found their "light in the tunnel" are included as the last chapter. The first chapter is about taking care of your self because the caregiver will find it a difficult feat to continue to care for someone with Alzheimer's if taking care of themselves is not a priority. The overall goal of the book is to give the caregiver a compass or light to help through the day to day care of the person with Alzheimer's.

The Teaser Carolyn started this journey by keeping a daily journal and from that her poetry started to flow and now a book The gift of writing these poems came out of the long, lonely journey with her husband Chuck who had Alzheimer’s. The poems speak of the love, the struggles and the heartaches that a caregiver has to go through, taking care of a loved one. I was not a writer but felt inspired to write my feelings as it helped me get through the days and the years ahead. I was able to lose myself and get lost for a time in my writings. I pray that you can gain some understanding, and comfort as you read these poems.

One year shy of her fiftieth wedding anniversary, Dee Hershberger was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband, Bob, serving as her primary caregiver, kept a journal the following four and a half years. Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver provides an unflinchingly honest and heartbreaking account of what the couple went through. During the first two and a half years, Dee gradually lost short-term memory but maintained most physical and social abilities. Over the last two years she lost these abilities, most words, and long-term memory. She also became incontinent, suffered from undetected illnesses, and experienced psychotic episodes and uncontrollable, violent behavior. This is a brutally raw look at what it is like to lose a loved one to Alzheimer’s, including what the disease does to the patient and the effects it has on loved ones and caregivers. This personal view into caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s will help readers understand the physical, emotional, and financial consequences of the disease, as well as provide support, advice, and hope to anyone in the same situation.

In telling Sarah's Alzheimer's Story, the writer takes you back to where it all began in the hills of Kentucky where Sarah was born. You may laugh, cry, or simply wonder as you go with her through her journey of life. The reader will get to know about the strong woman Sarah and how she endures many tragedies. One will find that even though memory loss is a large part of Alzheimer's disease, in Sarah's case, there is so much more. Throughout the story, the writer sometimes takes you back to incidents earlier in Sarah's life. In the writer's opinion, Sarah may be recalling something from the past, causing her to act the way she does. This seems to be especially true when she begins to see or talk to imaginary people. Dealing with this disease is often a struggle for Sarah and her family. But hopefully, you will see the joy in their laughter, the sorrow in their tears, and feel their strong love. It is hard to watch this very strong woman deteriorate mentally, physically, and lose her personality. But this writer believes that there is a reason, even if we do not understand it at the time.

Life With BIG AL is a story about how one family copes having their husband, father, and grandfather diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 52. It is a story of struggle, faith, laughter, sadness, joy, and above all, much love. Craig was a bright, energetic, very athletic individual who had always taken perfect care of his body. He ran 10-15 miles per day, ran a small retail specialty store by himself, and took care of his wife recovering from cancer and kidney failure. It was because of all the things he did that no one paid too much attention when he did something out of the ordinary; he had so much stress in his life. It wasn't until his wife, Judy, got well and studied that she knew. And, life With BIG AL began...