Dementia Caregiver Guide

This simple, easy to read, 100 page guidebook helps family members, friends, and caregivers to better understand the changes that come with advancing dementia or other impairments in thinking, reasoning or processing information. It also reinforces the impact of Teepa Snow's guidance and person-centered care interventions including the GEMS and Positive Approach to Care techniques. The goal is to provide better support and care practices when someone is living with an ever-changing condition. By appreciating what has changed but leveraging what is still possible, care partners can choose interactions that are more positive, communication that is more productive, and care that is more effective and less challenging for all involved.

Received a 2012 Caregiver Friendly Award from Today's Caregiver Magazine Although Lewy Body Dementia is the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly, it is not well known or understood and is often confused with Alzheimer' Disease or Parkinson's. The Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia is the first book ot present a thorough picture of what Lewy Body Dementia really is. A Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia is written in everyday language and filled with personal examples that connect to the readers' own experiences. It includes quick fact and caregiving tips for easy reference, a comprehensive resource guide, and a glossary of terms and acronyms. This is the ideal resource for caregivers, family members, and friends of individuals seeking to understand Lewy Body Dementia.

Care for yourself, while caring for a loved one with dementia When caring for someone with dementia, your own mental stability can be the single most critical factor in your loved one's quality of life. The Caregiver's Guide to Dementia brings practical and comprehensive guidance to understanding the illness, caring for someone, and caring for yourself. From understanding common behavioral and mood changes to making financial decisions, this book contains bulleted lists of actions you can take to improve your health and your caregiving. Inspirational and compassionate, it focuses on the caregiver's underlying love and humanity that cannot be taken away by any disease. In The Caregiver's Guide to Dementia you'll find: Dementia defined--Understand dementia and its many forms, with an explanation of the illness and its variations. Caregiver wellness--At the end of each chapter, a small section provides relaxation and mindfulness exercises and reflection for dementia caregivers. Practical approach--The back of the book is filled with resources, from financial planning to tips on safety, along with questions for health care professionals, lawyers, accountants, therapists, and friends.

An estimated 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. That number continues to grow - by 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer's could range from 11.3 million to 16 million. Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. It is a devastating disorder of the brain's nerve cells that impairs memory, thinking, and behavior. Written for patients, their families, and caregivers, A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier will help readers understand what is physically happening to the brain so they can empower their own special skills and talents throughout the disease process. The book is divided into three sections that correspond to the progression of Alzheimer's and the unique challenges encountered at each stage. Section A: The major part of the book divides the progression of the disease into Stages: the Pre-Clinical Stage; Early-To-Mild Stage, which marks the onset of the disease; Moderate Stage; and the Severe Stage. Hundreds of practical tips geared to coping and compensating at each level of the disease provide support for the affected individual and the caregiver. Section B: A bonus section of questions and answers addresses specific issues caregivers face and give them points to reflect on as they continue the process. Key topics covered include: Legal and financial issues Family Forums in the caregiving process The role of medication at various stages of the disease Helping children understand what is happening to a loved one Handling the holidays and celebrations Making the living environment more stimulating and enjoyable Section C: Lists resources and suggests websites to find additional information about the disease itself as well as related valuable networks. With an abundance of pointers and guidelines for affected individuals, their families, friends and caregivers, A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier is essential for all readers who want to focus on the capabilities that remain instead of those that have been lost.

"The Dementia Connection Model is a recipe to connect families in a way that produces positive interactions and preserves their loved one's level of functioning for as long as possible. The model brings together three concepts in dementia care of what is happening to the person with Alzheimer disease and, more importantly, why these things are happening as the person's condition progresses and how to intervene successfully"--

"When is it time to move a person living with dementia into a senior living community? How do you avoid an argument with someone who no longer knows what year it is? What do you do if the person you're caring for has trouble recognizing you? How can you lessen the guilt and anxiety that come with dementia caregiving? All of these questions-and more-are answered in this helpful guide through the difficulties of dementia care. Care partners to those living with dementia will find this book a helpful guide into an unfamiliar and challenging world, and professionals in the industry will come away with dementia knowledge they have not gotten anywhere else"--

Although the public most often associates dementia with Alzheimer's disease, the medical profession now distinguishes various types of "other" dementias. This book is the first and only comprehensive guide dealing with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), one of the largest groups of non-Alzheimer's dementias. The contributors are either specialists in their fields or have exceptional hands-on experience with FTD sufferers.Beginning with a focus on the medical facts, the first part defines and explores FTD as an illness distinct from Alzheimer's disease. Also considered are clinical and medical care issues and practices, as well as such topics as finding a medical team and rehabilitation interventions. The next section on managing care examines the daily care routine including exercise, socialization, adapting the home environment, and behavioral issues. In the following section on caregiver resources, the contributors identify professional and government assistance programs along with private resources and legal options. The final section focuses on the caregiver, in particular the need for respite and the challenge of managing emotions.This new, completely revised edition follows recent worldwide collaboration in research and provides the most current medical information available, a better understanding of the different classifications of FTD, and more clarity regarding the role of genetics. The wealth of information offered in these pages will help both healthcare professionals and caregivers of someone suffering from frontotemporal degeneration.

*New Edition with Updated dementia, dementia care, and resource information.* According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are more than six million people living in the United States have Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia. Not reported in these statistics are the sixteen million family caregivers who, in total, contribute nineteen billion hours of unpaid care each year. This book addresses the needs and challenges faced by adult children and other family members who are scrambling to make sense of what is happening to themselves and the loved ones in their care. The author, an experienced medical and science writer known for her ability to clearly explain complex and emotionally sensitive topics, is also a former family caregiver herself. Using both personal narrative and well-researched, expert-verified content, she guides readers through the often-confusing and challenging world of dementia care. She carefully escorts caregivers through the basics of dementia as a brain disorder, its accompanying behaviors, the procedures used to diagnose and stage the disease, and the legal aspects of providing care for an adult who is no longer competent. She also covers topics not usually included in other books on dementia: family dynamics, caregiver burnout, elder abuse, incontinence, finances and paying for care, the challenges same-sex families face, and coping with the eventuality of death and estate management. Each chapter begins with a real-life vignette taken from the author's personal experience and concludes with "Frequently Asked Questions" and "Worksheets" sections. The FAQs tackle specific issues and situations that often make caregiving such a challenge. The worksheets are a tool to help readers organize, evaluate, and self-reflect. A glossary of terms, an appendix, and references for further reading give readers a command of the vocabulary clinicians use and access to valuable resources.