Search Topics I've Blogged About :
Search:


Connect with me on:

 

 

Subscribe to my blog posts:

This form does not yet contain any fields.

      Inside the Dementia
     Epidemic: A Daughter's
     Memoir

     
     
      On Wall Street Journal best seller
      list (May 1, 2015)
     


    One     of Alzheimers.net's 2014 Top Alzheimer's Books for Caregivers

    Winner of the Memoir category of the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

    Winner of a Silver Medal in the Health/Medical category of the 2013 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards (and finalist in the Memoir category)

    Finalist, 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Award for Excellence in Publishing

    Winner of an Honorable Mention in the Life Stories category of the 20th Annual Writer’s Digest Book Awards 

    Finalist, 2013 Indie Excellence Book Awards

    Finalist, 2013 Santa Fe Writer's Project Literary Awards Program, Non-fiction category

     

       

     

     

    Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter's Memoir shares the lessons I learned over 8 years of caregiving at home and in a range of dementia care facilities. I describe not only what I learned about navigating the system, but how I learned to see Alzheimer's disease differently—not as a "long good-bye," as it's often called, but as a "long hello." Through caregiving, my challenging relationship with my mother was transformed, and I learned to enjoy and nurture her spirit through the last stages of dementia.

    Appendixes share facts about dementia that I wish I had known years ago, such as how to get a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease; what medications are approved to lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease; lesser-known risk factors for dementia; and possible antidotes. I include my favorite resources for caregivers, my source notes, and an index.

    Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter's Memoir is available in paperback and hardcover, as an e-book for Apple devices, the Nook, and Kindle, and on Kobo.

    Reviews and Testimonials

    Order the Book

    ______________________________________________________

    PHOTOS:

    The photo at the very top of this page is of my mother, Judy, in 2010, smiling up at Suzanne, a massage therapist I hired who specializes in bodywork for elders.  Suzanne massaged her hands, arms, upper back and legs, talked to her, and played music for her.  [photo by Jason Kates van Staveren]

    Right: My mother at her 75th birthday party in 2007, three years after she could no longer live alone. A few days after this picture was taken she fell, fractured her pelvis and needed more care than her assisted living facility could provide. I had to quickly research alternatives.









    In 1996, Judy and her grandson, Andrew, age 1, on the shale beach outside the cottage on the lake in Upstate New York where she lived by herself for 25 years. It's his first visit, and she's showing him the "big lake water" and how to draw on the flat rocks with pencil-shaped pieces of shale. Her worrisome behavior starts around this time, but as her daughter I don't realize what is going on until much, much later.

    Above: My mother, age 74, and I at the cottage in 2006 with her old miniature Schnauzer, Trinka. I can see the stress of those early caregiving years in my face and in my extra weight. Little did I know how much I would learn over the coming years.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Above: Judy, age 79, and me in early 2012 at the nursing home Judy moved into in 2010. Mom lived with advanced Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia until she passed away in late 2012, but until the end she often shared her lovely smile. 

     

    Join the fight to stop Alzheimer's by 2020:

        

     

    For caregiver support and resources, visit the Caregiver Action Network. (Membership is free if you are a current family caregiver):

                        

        The Purple Angel--a symbol of hope and dementia awareness

    Monday
    Jul222013

    A Video Chat about Dementia and Caregiving

    DateMonday, July 22, 2013 at 07:37PM

    Gary Joseph LeBlanc of "Commonsense Caregiving"If you've never watched Gary Joseph LeBlanc's video chat about dementia caregiving, "Commonsense Caregiving," I recommend checking it out. Gary is a columnist, author, book dealer, and founder of the Alzheimer's/Dementia Hospitalization Wristband Project who took care of his father for 10 years in his home. I just finished reading one of his books of advice for caregivers, "Staying Afloat in a Sea of Forgetfulness," and thought it was spot-on. In his video chats, Gary brings together people who are living with dementia, and dementia caregivers, to discuss the special challenges we face.

    Harry UrbanYesterday I had the pleasure of joining Gary for my very first video chat. (I gotta say, as an aside, that video chats are fun but not very flattering, physically--the choppy image makes me look like I'm half asleep or under the influence--ack. I have to learn to sit still in front of the camera!). Anyway, Gary and I talked with Harry Urban (left, a man with Alzheimer's who started the Forget Me Not Facebook group), and Michael Ellenbogen (below, a man with young-onset Alzheimer's, a dementia activist, and an author). We Michael Ellenbogenchatted about all kinds of things dementia-related:

    • What it was like for my young children when my mother lived with us in the early stages of dementia, and what I hope my children have learned about caregiving;
    • how to encourage a person with early-stage dementia to accept help if they really need it but they insist that they are fine;
    • driving and dementia;
    • Memory Cafes and support groups for people with early-stage dementia;
    • the importance of caregivers going to a support group such as one through your county’s Office for the Aging;
    • free support for caregivers available through the Caregiver Action Network;
    • and more. 

    I enjoyed talking with these guys, and hope that you enjoy listening to the chat:  https://vimeo.com/70727301

    CommentPost a Comment |
    in , , ,

    Reader Comments

    There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.

    My response is on my own website »
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
    Alert
    Comment Moderation Enabled
    To cut down on spam, your comment will be reviewed before it's posted. Thank you for writing.

    Notify me of follow-up comments via email.