Alzheimer's Disease: A Handbook for Caregivers, Family, and Friends

155 Pages·2005·6.36 MB·English

by  Patricia Callone

Alzheimer’s Disease
The Dignity Wi t h i n A l z h e ime r’s
A Handbook for Caregivers,
Fa m i l y, and Fr i e n d s
O
Di s e a s e
f the estimated 5 million Americans who have Alzheimer’s disease,
more than 70% live at home, with family and friends. Alzheimer’s Disease:
A Handbook for Caregivers, Fa m i l y, and Friends is a unique resource for
those caregivers so that they can be better equipped to nurture people
living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Dignity Wi t h i n
This expert guide educates the reader on the physical changes in the
brain as the disease progresses and outlines what can be done from a
caregiver’s standpoint at each stage. It stresses the importance of self-
care in ensuring that you are prepared to support the person with A Handbook for
Alzheimer’s disease. Packed with tips and techniques from five author-
ities in the field, this book answers critical questions such as:
Caregivers,
QWhat caregiving style will suit me best?
QWhat skills are likely to remain as Alzheimer’s disease progresses?
Fa m i l y, and Fr i e n d s
QHow do I balance my needs with the needs of the person I’m
caring for?
QHow do I find the time to rest and relax?
QWhen is it time to consider an assisted living community or a
nursing home?
And much more!
The most important tenet of this book is that we can better care for
people with Alzheimer’s disease by recognizing the “essence within” a
person living through the different stages of the disease. This positive
approach will help both caregivers and people affected by Alzheimer’s
disease live with a sense of dignity, importance, and self-esteem.
Patricia R. Callone, ma, mre
Cover design: Reyman Studio
Barbara C. Va s i l o f f, ma
Demos Medical Publishing
ISBN 1-932603-13-1 Connie Kudlacek,b s
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 201 51695
New York, NY 10016 Janaan Manternach, d min
www.demosmedpub.com Roger A. Brumback, m d
$16.95
9 781932 603132
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A l z h e ime r’s
Di s e a s e
The Dignity Wi t h i n
A Handbook for
Caregivers,
Fa m i l y, and Fr i e n d s
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A l z h e ime r’s
Di s e a s e
The Dignity Wi t h i n
A Handbook for
Caregivers,
Fa m i l y, and Fr i e n d s
Patricia R. Callone, ma, mre
Barbara C. Va s i l o f f, ma
Connie Kudlacek,b s
Janaan Manternach, d min
Roger A. Brumback, m d
CalloneAlzheim 5PPw-index 9/12/05 3:12 PM Page iv
Demos Medical Publishing, LLC
386 Park Avenue South
New York, New York 10016
Visit our website at
w w w. d e m o s m e d p u b . c o m
© 2 0 0 6by CaringConcepts, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is protected
by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission
of the publisher.
Design and production: Reyman Studio
Copyeditor: Joann Wo y
Indexing: Joann Wo y
Printer: Capital City Pr e s s
Memories in the Making is a copyrighted product of the
Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County, New Jersey.
Made in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alzheimer’s disease : the dignity within : a handbook for caregivers,
f a m i l y, and friends / Patricia R. Callone ... [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-932603-13-1 (alk. paper)
1 .Alzheimer’s disease—Patients—Care—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
2 .Alzheimer’s disease—Pa t i e n t s — Family relationships—Handbooks,
manuals, etc.
3 .Caregivers–Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Callone, Patricia R.
RC523.A397598 2005362.196’8 3 1 - - d c 2 2
2 0 0 5 0 0 9 5 9 3
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We dedicate this handbook to the
thousands of caregivers, family members, and friends
of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related
dementia everywhere. May this handbook be a resource for
them as they care for their loved ones.
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Caregiving
“A spiritual practice as one human being dares to enter into
relationship and service for the benefit of another.”
—Mary Pauluk, Chaplain
S t. John Lutheran Home, Springfield, Minnesota
N
ot many of ushave been trained to be caregivers.
Ye t, in a way, we all become caregivers at sometime
in our lives. Caregiving is a normal part of life.
There is no absolute right or wrong way of doing
i t. Each caregiver and each family develops special
relationships and caregiving practices that help them succeed.
In her book, And Thou Shalt Honor: The Caregiver’s Co m p a n i o n, Beth
Witrogen McLeod says, “We’ve been called to tend to others, not to mar-
tyr ourselves in the process.” She goes on to say, “This [caregiving] can be
a precious time if we approach the caregiving role as a calling rather than
as an obstacle to achieving personal goals. Caregiving is truly a spiritual
practice, a nonlinear path with heart. We are asked to expand ourselves
and be open to change. We are asked to comfort, to guide, to love. We
are asked to listen, to reassure, to advocate. Most of all, we are asked to
trust life in a way we never thought possible. What makes caregiving
appear difficult is the inner journey, the one that requires us to summon
the courage and flexibility to relate to life in an unfamiliar but more expan-
sive way. This is new territory for most of us; it shows us where we have
closed down to what life has to offer, and how much work is necessary to
care for ourselves while caring for others….”
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