Shows how to create a home environment that helps cope with the difficulties associated with AD and related dementia. The author deals with both interior and exterior spaces, discussing problems and solutions associated with specific areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, corridors, patios and decks. Separate chapters focus on issues related to AD such as wandering, incontinence and access limitation.

Learn how to develop an effective Alzheimer’s ministry. The Guide to Ministering to Alzheimer's Patients and Their Families examines the importance of spirituality in dealing with the everyday challenges of this mysterious disease. Not a “how-to” manual with step-by-step instructions or tried and true formulas, this unique book instead examines the essential elements of ministering to dementia patients based on the first-hand accounts of family members living through pain and uncertainty. The book explores the stages of Alzheimer's, grief and guilt, available resources, and implications of spiritual care for patients and families. It is equally useful as a textbook for graduate and undergraduate work, a reference for study groups and seminars, and a primer for those with limited knowledge of the illness. Ministers sometimes neglect Alzheimer’s patients and their families because they feel they don’t know what to say or do even though they want to be obedient and faithful servants in this specialized ministry. The Guide to Ministering to Alzheimer’s Patients and Their Families communicates the thoughts, feelings, and needs of those affected by the disease to help ministers feel more comfortable, confident, and competent as they develop a theological understanding of God, Alzheimer’s patients, and their role in ministry. The book also provides models for ministry; role-play scenarios; a sample text for a care facility worship service, a care facility memorial service, and a funeral service for a Christian and a non-Christian as well as a sample clergy seminar program on Alzheimer’s ministry. The Guide to Ministering to Alzheimer’s Patients and Their Families examines: common characteristics of early, mild, moderate, and severe Alzheimer’s general information about Alzheimer’s ethical decision-making support group ministry respite care religious rites faith issues heredity hospitalization of Alzheimer’s patients long-distance caregiving working with other clergy The Guide to Ministering to Alzheimer’s Patients and Their Families also includes a special appendix of selections from the Scriptures. This book is a unique resource for all Christians who desire to minister to those affected by Alzheimer’s—especially pastors, priests, chaplains, pastoral counselors, church leaders, healthcare professionals, and seminary students.

Provides a comprehensive and compassionate guide to caregiving, covering such issues as assessing a loved one's health, benefits assistance, legal advice, dealing with burnout, hands-on care tips, and helpful resources.

Holding a dead baby. Standing up to a supervisor. Washing a bedridden patient's hair. Talking past and through one another in a case conference. Smoothing a sheet over a patient's disintegrating body. Firing a longtime friend and co-worker. Literature can be a rich source of guidance to help with contemporary ethical dilemmas facing health care professionals and patients. Poems and stories can help to identify moral problems, promote empathy, and tolerate ambiguity in health and illness. The depth and detail within stories and poems allow readers to experience the contradictory feelings, complex relationships, and situational messiness that characterize ethical quandaries in actual practice. These works by women in health care contribute to our understanding by introducing characters who struggle with illness and aging or who try to make sense of their own feelings in the face of pain and mortality. Who better to capture the essence of this complexity than people working directly within it?

Alzheimer's Disease was a finalist for a 2005 ForeWord Book of the Year Award! An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, only half of whom have been diagnosed. An uncertain but even larger number have mild cognitive impairment, often a precursor to Alzheimer's. By 2030, barring a cure for this illness, the number of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease is estimated to be 8 million, and by 2050, 14 million. The cost in both suffering and dollars on the part of patients and families is enormous and continues to grow worldwide. Alzheimer's Disease provides an overview of the latest findings regarding the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It will help caregivers and family members gain a better understanding of the nature of the disease process and the available options for coping with and managing this illness. Chapters include an introduction to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, aging; memory; depression; medications; alternative treatments; stages and prognosis of the disease; a chapter for caregivers; and much more. The subtitles of each chapter are written in question format to help readers search for the topics that most relate to their problem. To further help navigate this book, references are organized by topic and chapter at the end of the book. In addition, all abbreviations are listed in a table at the beginning of the book, and words that appear in the glossary are italicized upon their first occurrence in the text. This latest volume in the American Academy of Neurology Press Quality of Life Guide series is an essential tool for all families coping with Alzheimer's disease.

Every year there are more than 125,000 reports of people with Alzheimer's disease who wander away from their home or care facility and are unable to find their way back. Statistics indicate that of these loved ones who are not found within 24 hours, approximately half do not survive. Mark Warner has devised this workbook as an aid to gathering the information necessary to avert a personal disaster. The book, sturdily bound and easy to use, is complete with the forms that need to be filled out and the pertinent questions that need to be asked to enhance the search for and discovery of a loved one in the event he/she wanders away. With In Search of the Alzheimer's Wanderer, readers will have all the information they need in one place to provide immediately to those who will be looking for their loved one, including the local law enforcement authorities.

This book is to help clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatrists and counselors achieve the maximum in service to their clients. Designed to bring ready answers from scientific data to real life practice, The guide is an accessible, authoritative reference for today’s clinician. There are solid guidelines for what to rule out, what works, what doesn’t work and what can be improved for a wide range of mental health problems. It is organized alphabetically for quick reference and distills vast amounts of proven knowledge and strategies into a user friendly, hands-on reference.

This much-needed bibliography and filmography brings together lists of books about Alzheimer's and caregiving, including biographies, poetry, and even fiction, as well as in instructional and dramatic films.

At Wit’s End: Plain Talk on Alzheimer’s for Families and Clinicians, now in its Second Edition, is a straightforward summary of leading advice for understanding and caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, written without technical jargon and impractical nuance. About one-third of our population will eventually provide care for someone with Alzheimer’s. The strain of caring for a loved one with this disease can be enormous, yet the reward of enhancing a loved one’s quality of life is beyond measure. So, where to begin? Many books delve into other specific areas of Alzheimer’s care, emphasizing the financial and legal challenges, as well as myriad medical treatment needs of those experiencing the disease. Unique among these offerings, At Wit’s End explains the psychiatric and psychological aspects of Alzheimer’s, and does so in a holistic and practical manner. Dr. Kraus focuses on the whole person across his or her full social, psychological, physical, and spiritual life to provide as complete a picture as possible of the changes that are in play. With this broad, thoughtful, and grounded approach, family members, clinicians, and caregivers are better able to discover and make wise choices from a wealth of effective interventions in all areas of care. It also allows them to care for themselves and their families in the dynamic and supportive care process.