Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
- Published by: Perigee Trade
- Edition: 1st Edition November 7, 2000
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0399526358
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0399526350
-
Book Dimensions:
8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
- Weighs: 14.4 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Alzheimer's disease strikes some 250,000 Americans annually, the editors maintain, and an estimated 2.4 million people care for the several million people who have the disease. What makes caring for someone with
Alzheimer's particularly difficult is the transformation the victims undergo. As this book evidences through its case histories, people with
Alzheimer's become almost unrecognizable: a quiet, shy human being will suddenly shout in the middle of the street for hours at a time; a well-groomed lady will forget about showering and insist on wearing the same article of clothing for days at a time. Still, there is some cause for optimism, claim the authors (Castleman wrote Nature's Cures, Naythons is a physician and Gallagher-Thompson cared for her ailing mother). Diagnosis and treatment has changed over the past decade, so that with proper medication and a different approach by caregivers and health-care professionals,
Alzheimer's sufferers can be made comfortable, which in turn helps their families. The case studies provide insights into the stages from diagnosis through progression of the disease. Practical information on new drug therapies, alternative treatments, tips on evaluating residential facilities as well as an appendix of other resources make this an indispensable guide for patients, caregivers and anyone who must deal with
Alzheimer's disease.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
More than seventy percent of the two to four million people diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease are cared for at home by family members, often until the disease's final stages. Numerous books for caregivers have appeared over the last decade, but the need for high-quality publications continues. This book's authorsACastleman, a health journalist, Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, a psychologist specializing in caregiving, and Matthew Naythons, a physician turned Internet entrepreneurAhave gathered the latest research on the causes, diagnosis, current and potential treatments for
Alzheimer's and communicated these findings clearly and intelligibly. Essential information on getting a diagnosis, coping with behavioral changes, medications, and sources of support and assistance is provided. Such material is available elsewhere in greater detail (Nancy Mace and Peter Rabin's The 36-Hour Day, 3d ed., LJ 7/99); however, the authors emphasize the importance of families caring for themselves as well in order to avoid the physical and emotional tolls unrelieved caregiving can take. Stories of culturally and ethnically diverse families coping successfully with
Alzheimer's plus an extensive bibliography and resource list increase the volume's reader-friendliness. A valuable addition to
Alzheimer's and caregiving collections.AKaren McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reader Reviews
As a social worker, I really treasure books that provide excellent background information while speaking to the issues that people really care about. This book does this and more. It is a comprehensive and exhaustive resource on the current state of Alzheimers research, diagnosis, and treatment and it also provides several real family vignettes that have the realities that many face in an honest and postive (yes positive) manner. For example, it tells the story of a Stanford Professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimers in his late 50s/early 60s and his wife who struggle to care for him and her eventual decision to place her husband in residential care. It also tells of their continued love affair and how both of their lives change and adapt to living with Alzheimers. Of note it include information about wide range of community resources which will surely be helpful to families facing similar circumstances.
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