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PAPERBACK& DOWNLOAD EDITIONS------WHAT'S IT LIKE to be the only son of a widowed mother who is rapidly sinking into the opaque fog of dementia, and who lives alone half a continent away? ROBERT TELL tells this tale with compassion and humor. DEMENTIA DIARY reads like fiction and covers the fifteen year period from his father's shocking death in a department store to his mother's 92nd birthday. It is meant to be a "portable support group." If you have watched helplessly as your parent, spouse or friend's identity disappeared into the sinkhole of Alzheimer's Disease (or another dementia), this heart-wrenching memoir will touch you deeply ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Caring for a mother with dementia
As the incidence of dementia rises, so do the books on the subject.But Robert Tell's `Dementia Diary: Caregiver's Journal' stands out for its cracking pace and searing honesty.Many families will identify with the events he records as his mother's dementia depeens, yet the strength of his own personality and his relationship with his mother makes this book truly unique.When he asks, `Is this the mother who made me crazy all those years when her emotions were out of control?Or is this gentle and loving paragon of happy old age the true, underlying person?' you want to reassure him that yes, this is Minnie as she could have been without the stressors that made her so volatile.For dementia is a journey, through the mind, through the heart to the spirit of the person, the very essence of the being.Robert describes his mother's journey incredibly well.
Louise Morse

Dementia Diary is a good companion
Dementia Diary is a good companion for the book "36 Hour Day:A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementing Illnesses".Robert Tell's book illustrates what the 36 Hour Day is preparing one for.It's poignant and tells the plain truth of the frustration and the fact of the experience of one son who indirectly cared for his mother with Dementia.

I laughed at times as I nodded my head in knowing as his mother did things that our family member is doing.Whew, it is nice not to be the only one!

Dementia Diary Good Medicine For Caregiver Isolation
"Dementia Diary: A Caregiver's Journal," is personal, warm and witty. It's also heartbreaking. Tell is open with the pain one suffers watching the personality changes dementia brings to a beloved parent. He is an only child. This brings a unique loneliness in handling the sometimes slow, often startling changes dementia can bring. There is a deep feeling that no one can truly understand. Tell brings this home powerfully in his memoir. I have already recommended it to readers of my column and by email, when I coach people through their personal caregiving pain.

Tell's story about his mother's watch had me laughing out loud, as I experienced the same thing with my mother, my mother-in-law and my dad. There is no logical need for a watch battery to be replaced immediately, when an elder is in a nursing facility. There are clocks all over and people to take the elder wherever they need to go. But they must have their watch. My dad couldn't even see the extra large face of his, but he somehow knew if the battery quit. The watch story is just one of the many - nearly universal - stories Tell offers the reader.

There are many dementias other than the well-known Alzheimer's. I had three elders with dementia. Each was different. It's good to get the word out that all dementia is not Alzheimer's.

I will continue to recommend Robert Tell's book to anyone feeling the isolation of a caregiver - especially an only child.

Carol Bradley Bursack
Author/Speaker/Columnist
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories www.mindingourelders.com

A sensitive and well written semi-autobiography
Robert Tell presents an account of his mother's slow descent into
dementia and its impact on him as the only son. Although the author
suggests this is not a "how to" book it definitely educates the reader
about many significant issues such as geriatricare management, driving
and preneed funeral planning--to mention a few. This book is unusal for
its male (son) caregiver perspective and a must read for all who are
going through the chalenging years of caring for an elderly parent.
Although I am now an adult orphan I read the book and garnered insights
about the journey that I and my family recently completed with the
passing of my 94 year old mother several years ago.

A Neil Simon laugh and cry scenario...
As a CEO of a mental health agency and as the bereaved familymember of an
Alzheimer's victim I found this book to be OUTSTANDING-entertaining-
informative......a primer on the family implications of the deadly and devastating impact of dementia on the afflicted and their loved ones. Other books focus on the
technical and miss the emotional and personal reality that engulfs both the afflicted and the caregiver. Dementia Diary fills this gap with dignity and warmth.Every reader will benefit greatly, as didI.
... Read more

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(Jessica Kingsley)Presents current thinking which stresses the potential for improving quality of life for people with dementia and their families. Articulates a social work practice reflecting this new culture in dementia care. Offers suggestions for addressing the difficulties associated with assessment and referrals. Softcov. ... Read more

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The second edition of Management of Dementia combines a balanced review of the latest knowledge and research in this area with practical guidance based on the authors' considerable personal experience of dementia care. It is directed at professionals working in the area who want to practice evidence-based medicine without losing sight of the patient and who want to be sure of dispensing the most appropriate pharmacology while also using other non-pharmacological treatments to their optimum effect. Concise and easy to read, the completely revised Management of Dementia provides readers both with a full knowledge of the evolution of modern dementia care and also with the basis for understanding new developments as they occur. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes Safe and Effective Exercises for All Ages.

Your brain is your most important organ and, just like any other part of the body, you should strive to keep it healthy and active. Studies have shown that regular exercise can not only improve brain function, but also potentially prevent the onset of cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s.

William Smith’s Exercises for Brain Health features physical and mental exercises that are specially designed to strengthen both mind and body. Featuring progressively challenging programs and assessments, this book will keep you motivated along the path to a healthy and active brain.

Exercises for Brain Health features:

* Safe and effective exercises for all ages and fitness levels
* Nutrition tips and recipes to promote brain health
* Easy-to-follow fitness plans for long-term wellness
* Facts on the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for cognitive disease
* Tips and guidance for caregivers and loved ones of dementia patients

Whether you are looking to keep your brain sharp and boost memory and focus, or just want to take steps to ensure your brain is fit for the future, Exercises for Brain Health is your comprehensive guide. ... Read more

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Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland. Interdisciplinary work proposing a new model for the care of Alzheimer's patients, one that is resident-centered, individualized, and holistic. For long-term care staff, and nurses or physicians in geriatrics. 7 U.S. contributors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cited as reference by CMS
This book is cited as good reference source in the "State Operations Manual, Appendix PP: Guidance To Surveyors" in the interpretive guidance for F-241, Dignity (483.15a) ... Read more

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The term person-centred care has been widely used, misused and ill defined. It is used frequently in the aims and objectives for dementia care services and provision, although in practice what lies behind the rhetoric can be questionable. This book gives fresh definition to the important ideas behind and the implementation of person centred care for people with dementia. Dawn Brooker explains the four key elements of person centred care that comprise the VIPS model: Valuing people with dementia and those who care for them (V); treating people as Individuals (I); looking at the world from the Perspective of the person with dementia (P); and a positive Social environment in which the person living with dementia can experience relative well being (S). With an emphasis on practical application, Person Centred Dementia Care provides care organisations with clear, accessible guidelines on how to put the VIPS model into operation for effective care that is 'fit for VIPs'. Part 2 of the book comprises the VIPS organisational reflection tool, which care providers can use to assess how well they think they are doing at providing person-centred care.This will be essential reading for practitioners working with and policy makers responsible for people with dementia at all levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Person centered care for those with dementia is a good concept
This book discusses the concept of person centered demnetia care. It tells the reader how to implement the concept and why it is important to do so with people who have dementia. Dawn Brooker talks about the four key elements of person centered care. She discusses theVIPS model: Valuing people with dementia and those who care for them. She focuses on the practical application of this concept. Person Centred Dementia Care shows the reader how to turn the concept into a practical working model. The book reads like a text book which may not be caregiver friendly at first glance. However there is much practical information for the caregiver and healthcare professionals alike.

by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

Great teaching boo.
This is an excellent book to teach others about dementia, no matter what level of knowledge they have. I plan on using this as a text book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book has been created for patients who have decided to make education and research an integral part of the treatment process. Although it also gives information useful to doctors, caregivers and other health professionals, it tells patients where and how to look for information covering virtually all topics related to dementia with lewy bodies (also Drug-Induced Parkinsonism; Paralysis agitans; Parkinsonism; Postencephalitic Parkinsonism; Presenile dementia; Primary degenerative dementia), from the essentials to the most advanced areas of research. The title of this book includes the word official. This reflects the fact that the sourcebook draws from public, academic, government, and peer-reviewed research. Selected readings from various agencies are reproduced to give you some of the latest official information available to date on dementia with lewy bodies. Given patients' increasing sophistication in using the Internet, abundant references to reliable Internet-based resources are provided throughout this sourcebook. Where possible, guidance is provided on how to obtain free-of-charge, primary research results as well as more detailed information via the Internet. E-book and electronic versions of this sourcebook are fully interactive with each of the Internet sites mentioned (clicking on a hyperlink automatically opens your browser to the site indicated). Hard-copy users of this sourcebook can type cited Web addresses directly into their browsers to obtain access to the corresponding sites. In addition to extensive references accessible via the Internet, chapters include glossaries of technical or uncommon terms. ... Read more

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This book reviews important neuropsychological measures currently used in the assessment of dementia by the principal clinicians and researchers associated with the test, offering practical guidance on each test along with an analysis of its limitations. ... Read more

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We have long underestimated the person who has dementia. Each one's ability to reach out in familiar ways certainly diminishes yet he or she is always able to experience the deep benefits that come from being in vital relationship with others. Inside Alzheimer's tells how dozens of persons with dementia and their sharing of wisdom, humor and life's teachings led Ms. Pearce to the six basic principles of connection--how one person connects with another: Intend a connection, Free yourself of judgment, Love, Open to receive love, Silence and Thankfulness. Internalizing these principles has empowered hundreds of family, friends, and professionals to create moments of connection with persons, regardless of how advanced the dementia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A very important addition to the body of work for the caregiver of people with dementia!
One of the most trying aspects for anyone caring for a person with Alzheimer's and dementia involves the breakdown of communication. In her book, Inside Alzheimer's: How to Hear and Honor Connections with a Person who has Dementia, Nancy Pearce shows the way to communicate with people affected by dementia in any of its forms. Ms. Pearce is a social worker with more than 20 years of experience with geriatric patients and people with dementia. Those years have obviously given her tools to connect with people who many have given up on; but more obviously, she brings to her profession an intuitive understanding of the process. The importance of her intuition comes through clearly as she talks to us about the people she has touched and who have touched her.

As dementia including Alzheimer's progresses it causes one to lose access to memories, and as memories fade the person, more and more, exists in the present. It is in the present that you will successfully relate. Once you learn to be with this person in his or her sphere, which is the here and now, much of the frustration that is so common in caregivers of people with dementia will melt away. Inside Alzheimer's will help you to do just that. Whether you are a professional visiting caregiver, on staff at a facility caring for people with dementia, or are caring for a loved one at home, Inside Alzheimer's is a must read. (Even if you never have contact with a person with dementia, you will benefit from Nancy Pearce's insights.)

Very Helpful!
My mother was recently "offcially" diagnosed with Alzheimer's; however, we've know quiet awhile something was going on.This book has been a tremendous help in understanding this disease and how to relate to her better.No, it is not the same or will it ever be, but we can move forward into a new relationship ... and this book has given me hope that it is possible.Very easy read!I love the stories.

How to speak to dementia patients
This is a great book. I wish I had found this sooner, as my mom has had Alzheimers for 8 years. She has been losing her ability to speak coherently and this book has been a great guide to help me through this most difficult time.

The power of positive communication
Inside Alzheimer's: How to Hear and Honor Connections with a Person who has Dementia, show the reader how to communicate effectively with someone who has dementia. Logical commnication skills often do not work so the author shares with the reader both how to listen and use body language to see what the dementia person is trying to say. Also the reader(loved one or professional) discovers how to, most effectively, mintain a connection with the person with dementia.

In addition, Nancy Pearce, shares how to value a dementia person. There are still many things you can do together, perhaps with a few adaptations. These things are discussed.

This book is certainly a must read for a loved one, friend, caregiver, or other professional.

by Susan Berg author ofAdorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

Clear, comforting and confidence inspiring
This book provides a very clear, comforting and confidence inspiring way for family and friends to spend time with a person with Alzheimer's. I really appreciated how the author was able to explain the meaning of the world to someone who has Alzheimer's so that I could spend all of my time responding from that context. This allows me to avoid responses that while normal and seemingly logical to me would make no sense to the person with Alzheimer's. The explanations and coaching language are very effective. It was easy for me to grasp and imagine the world of the person with Alzheimer's. By almost being able to walk in their "mocassins" I am able to focus entirely on learning how to get better at it - and therefore be a better friend and companion. Inside Alzheimer's: How to Hear and Honor Connections with a Person who has Dementia ... Read more

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This practical book provides simple and imaginative ways to prevent and reduce stress-related behaviours in people with dementia in residential care. The author's approach is based on maximizing personal expression and fulfilment and recovering access to familiar, enjoyable and meaningful activities. He suggests strategies for managing common problems with feeding, bathing, toileting and sleep, looks at how to understand and cope with wandering, agitation and inappropriate sexual activity, and discusses ways of defusing aggressive behaviour. He also explains how to enhance care home environments and staff communication skills, and suggests a variety of helpful activities and therapies. Written in a clear, accessible style, this book will be an invaluable resource for residential care workers and the families and carers of people with dementia. ... Read more

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Treatments for age-related dementia and the growing reliance on pharmaceuticals to alleviate its worst symptoms raise a number of questions about attitudes toward aging and cognition, the relationship between growing older and getting sick, and the conflicting interests of patients, caregivers, physicians, scientists, and business. This volume aims to foster a constructive debate about the future of dementia treatment by providing multiple perspectives on these tangled issues.

The first section examines how the concepts of dementia have expanded to encompass a broad range of symptoms and the implications of this evolution on the development of pharmaceutical treatments. The second section explores the use and effectiveness of drug treatments for dementia through the perspectives of a clinician, a researcher, and a layperson. In the third section, the contributors probe how culture, language, and values affect the overlapping worlds of pharmacology, drug marketing, and dementia treatment. A final section elucidates the thorny ethical and policy concerns surrounding the often-conflicting hopes for dementia medications.

Featuring contributions from noted clinicians, researchers, and scholars from a broad range of disciplines, this multidisciplinary dialogue addresses central questions about the history and future of drug treatment for dementia and makes clear why there are no simple answers. Professionals and students involved in gerontology, psychiatry, and bioethics will find the discussion both enlightening and practical.

Customer Reviews (1)

College-level collections need this
TREATING DEMENTIA offers health libraries an invaluable survey of dementia issues, from how concepts have expanded to embrace a range of symptoms and are influenced by new classes of pharmaceutical treatments to the use of drug treatments for dementia and how culture, language and values affect drug marketing and dementia treatment options around the world. College-level collections need this. ... Read more

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Perspectives on Rehabilitation and Dementia offers new insights into the application of a well established approach and set of skills to a group of people who have traditionally been thought not to benefit from them. Indeed people with dementia have missed out on physical and psychological rehabilitation very substantially. This book demonstrates that rehabilitation has positive outcomes for people with dementia in terms of quality of life and self-esteem, especially if rehabilitation is seen as a positive philosophy of practice as well as a set of skills and approaches. The perspectives in this book are those of a very diverse group of professionals, carers, and people with dementia themselves. Professional backgrounds and the settings in which they work are diverse and include both academics and practitioners. The voices of people with dementia underline the importance of seeing how they understand rehabilitation for themselves. Professionals in almost all caring professions - nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, acute, geriatric and psychiatric medicine, psychology, social work and rehabilitation - will increasingly find themselves working with people with dementia.They need to be alert to the latest thinking on approaches and interventions. This book provides a readable course text for understanding both their own professional contribution and that of others in the team. ... Read more

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Ellen Marie Edmonds is a retired businesswoman, who considers herself simply to be a mother, grandmother, godmother, and widow. Her late husband Frank was a retired CEO with AT&T and a military leader an veteran,renown for his many business, chruch, and civic contributions. Through Ellen's journey of embracing her husbands vascular dementia, while also caring for her first grandchild, she discovered many parallels in their needs, which shaped her faith-based response to her husband's heart-wrenching disease She also shares her story to help those afflicted by Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases. ... Read more

Product Description
Although currently many people with dementia are not given the opportunity to receive professional counselling, this book explores the value of counselling for men and women living with this condition and how it enables them to make sense of their lives and their notions of themselves. The author explores the pervasive myth that all experiences of living with dementia are entirely negative and shows counsellors and carers how a person-centred counselling experience can have positive outcomes for those with dementia and the people who care for them.Based on the author's own experiences of counselling people with dementia, the book covers the fundamentals of the counselling process and precisely what a person-centred approach entails. The book then brings together several theories of counselling such as the role of the 'spiritual' in the counselling relationship; working with concepts of relational depth and configurations of Self; and the author's own theories of relating to a person's spiritual core.Accumulating findings from over 20 years of counselling experience in both the UK and the US, this book explores the importance of the Self and recognising each individual's worth and value. Dialogue from the author's counselling experiences is used to illustrate the person-centred counselling approach.Providing a comprehensive guide to person-centred counselling for people with dementia, this book gives an illuminating perspective on the subject and will be of value to counsellors, health and social care professionals, carers and families of people with dementia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must Read for all Baby Boomers
Although this book appears to be about counseling - (or "counselling" since Lipinska is from the UK) it is a must (and easy) read for all of us baby boomers who are beginning to reach that place in our lives of dealing with our parent's changing, and often declining, lives.Lipinska has a great range of experience and shares it in a way that lends great insight and compassion into the world of our loved ones, helping us to manage our own responses in positive ways which benefit all.Make sure your siblings each have a copy as well! ... Read more

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The story of how a mother's increasing dementia affected her and her family, and of how her children tricked her out of her home to get her to a place where she could be safe and relatively content.Reader comments:"Your journal has been an inspiration to me.""The way you expressed the heartbreak of dealing with all of this deeply moved me.""Thanks for baring this part of your soul to all of us!" ... Read more

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This accessible, interactive resource book encourages front-line staff working with dementia sufferers in nursing and residential settings to examine their working practice and modify it to where appropriate to meet best practice guidelines. Packed with photocopiable training exercises, discussion points and questions to prompt care workers to reflect on their style of work, this practical training manual also provides a framework for care work in line with statutory requirements and national training standards. It can be used as a self-training guide by carers, who can work through it at their own pace or under the supervision of a colleague, or by trainers running structured courses on good practice in dementia care. It is also suitable as a quick reference in daily practice. This comprehensive resource will provide useful guidance for all staff working face-to-face with people with dementia, whether in nursing, day-care or residential settings. ... Read more

Product Description
Dementia is one of the most devastating illnesses as it involves a progressive decline in mental functioning leading to eventual total incapacity.Thus, it affects all aspects of diagnosed individuals -- eventually robbing them of their very identities.There are many types of dementia, but the most common form is Alzheimer's disease (AD) which affects over 4 million Americans, the majority of whom are age 65 or older.However, although associated with aging, the illness is also found in persons in mid-life where the impact can be particularly severe as it affects employment, income, and the expected life course.

The theme of this book underscores the many factors associated with dementia and its care, and the ways in which social work involvement can be most valuable. The chapters, written by leaders in the field of dementia care, examine the development and impact of dementia and the many ways in which social work expertise can be most effectively utilized by clinicians, researchers, and advocates. ... Read more