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Helpful books for the two of us

jbrown13
jbrown13 Member Posts: 2
Second Anniversary First Comment
Member
in Caring For a Spouse or Partner
I've been lurking around for a year or so but have yet to post. I am the sole caregiver for DW.  We live in a rural area and have very little support.  Today we are trying to find a book or other material that we can read together. DW and I need to try to understand what each is going through.  DW, what is happening to me.  DH, (me), what can I do better to support and how do I keep my sanity and health as we travel this road.  I don't know stages or anything but we started noticing changes five or six years ago.  There is very little or no help within the community.  I hate that we are all here but any suggestions would be helpful. Our local bookstore is 1-800-Amazon. Thanks, Jim and Myra

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  • Old89
    Old89 Member Posts: 24
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Comments
    Member

    There are a lot of books taking different approaches.  

    For how it affects the emotions of the caregiver of someone with dementia:

    Loving Someone Who Has Dementia:  by Pauline Boss PhD

    Floating in the Deep End:  by Patti Davis (Pres Reagan's daughters story of their Alzheimers journey

    For practical information about the disease and its affects:

    The 36 Hour Day: by Mace and Rabins.

    Travel Well with Dementia:  by Jan Dougherty

    A Loving Approach to Dementia Care:  by Laura Wyman

    Surviving Alzheimers:  by Paula Spencer Scott

    There are more, but this is a good list.  I have read them all and found them useful.  36 Hour Day is frequently recommended but I found it a slog as it is very encyclopedic and describes things you will not deal with perhaps for many years.
    A couple of other thoughts.   Deepa Snow is a well known speaker on Alzheimers and you can find her on YouTube as well as she has a podcast series you can find on where you find podcasts.   
    Also there are numerous Zoom support groups.  I am in the Phoenix area and there are several but you don't need to be local to participate.   Sources I have used here are 
    DuetAZ.org
    BannerALZ.org
    Both websites list educational opportunities and support groups that have remote access.  I have been trying to get ahead of this journey through self teaching as much as I can.   I wish you all the best.   

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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