Alzheimer S Through Tears And Laughter

Today, there is a disease afflicting many people and arousing fear in those whose ages can start as young as forty years, and moving on through the sixties, seventy and eighty year old groups. It is known as Alzheimers Disease. This book is about sharing this experience with my sister-in-law who came down with this disease in her later years. She was eighty-four at the time and lived to be ninety four years old. I was encouraged to take notes and write about this by a doctor who told me I would be in a position to see its development every day for as long as she remained with me. He said, Take lots of notes. You will be able to observe so much more than I, because I dont spend that much time with a patient, and you will be with her day and night and observe the changes as they happen and what triggers her behavior. Good Luck! With that I started out on my ten year trip through the ups and downs, the good days and bad days of Alzheimers disease. Our days were laced with pain and humor, but I was determined to see it through, laughing a little and crying a lot, hoping the scenery would change, but finally surrendering to this fate that had come upon us. Our mantra became Lets laugh because if we dont we shall most certainly cry! I chose to care for her because I wanted her to be surrounded by love, music and laughter, in a place where we could laugh with her and cry with her and never be alone. Im glad I did.

Caregivers find JOY caring for their loved ones.Amidst the clouds and thunderstorms of Alzheimer's, caregivers and their loved ones grasp for a few rays of sunshine.A collection of stories and poems written by caregivers--warm rays to bring you joy and to dry your tears with laughter.

In the UK alone, there are around one million people affected by dementia and the number is rising. Globally, the numbers of people living with dementia is predicted to grow to around 79 million by 2030. Accompanying the rise, is the enormity of the social crisis that impacts those affected by dementia. At the onset of her dementia diagnosis, Mary moved to live with her daughter where they began an extraordinarily, challenging journey, negotiating their way through the Alzheimer's maze. This personal and emotional experience, told in the form of letters, tells the story of how and why life changed, as Alzheimer's threw everything out of balance. Tales of laughter and love, of despair and tears are the essence of this story. These letters chart the progress of the disease and the challenges each stage brought. As the story unfolded, there was more to Mary than the dementia...

My hope for this book is that I give a glimpse to you, the reader, into the experiences we went through when my husband - a young, healthy man - was diagnosed at age 50 with Early Onset Alzheimer's. My aim is to give you some insight into how to perhaps deal with each change with a little more understanding, and the knowledge that you aren't alone. On those days where you are frustrated or unsure if you can continue with your journey as a caregiver through this terrible disease, you must remember that nobody is infallible and nobody is a saint. You are human, you make mistakes, and you are doing the very best you can. When my husband was first diagnosed, I remember telling a friend, "I don't think I can do this; I don't know if I can ever do the full care when he gets to that stage." I was able to continue the care-giving a lot longer than I ever imagined - one day at a time. I wanted to "give back" in some way to help others who are facing what we faced. My memories are still very vivid right from the first indication that something was wrong. I don't regret any of the treatments we tried or the care-giving I did. My only regret is that I wasn't able to cure him. From our family to yours. God bless you in your journey, knowing you aren't alone.

Michelle Wyatt's mum always joked with the family that if she ever developed Alzheimer's like her own mother-Michelle's grandmother-they should put her in a home and throw away the key. When she did ultimately succumb to the disease, the choice to put her in a nursing home became the only option. During the next six years, Michelle, a well-known television producer, visited her mum often while her dad kept a daily vigil in the nursing home. What Michelle and her family discovered throughout these challenging times was that allowing themselves to see the funny side of the weird and wonderful things they witnessed while visiting her mum made a difficult journey just that little bit easier. This memoir is a light-hearted but moving account of Michelle's experience with her mum's dementia-giving us an insight in how to cope compassionately, effectively and lastingly with a disease that affects almost 400,000 people in Australia alone.

What's Funny About Dementia? Laugh to Keep From Crying is a memoir of the author and social worker, Jataun J. Rollins', personal journey in caregiving for her beloved grandmother, Maggie Passmore who survived Alzheimer's for about fifteen years. The author embraced laughter and spirituality to keep from crying as a live in caretaker and respite provider for her grandparents. She reflects about family participation, engagement and offers practical tips on managing the responsibilities of caregiving and identifying signs earlier on to prompt medical screening for Alzheimer's and other dementias to begin treatment. She endeavors to keep others encouraged to focus on the individual and not the disease. Memory loss is inevitable for the the survivor, but life still carries on inside them. Her book helps the reader to focus on the lucid moments and embrace the life they have left to live.