Wayman offers compassionate advice on overcoming practical and emotional obstacles to maintaining meaningful relationship with loved ones who have dementia and memory loss. She offers caregiving insights and information about the dangers of denying the onset of cognitive problems.
"This is the third edition of Laura Wayman's guide for caregivers of individuals with dementia. The book is concise, down to earth, and practical. Each chapter begins with a real-life vignette that the author then analyzes. For this third edition, the content has expanded by approximately 13,000 words, including two new chapters and a section of resources"--
Our society is buckling under the demands of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care, and now a simple but innovative approach has arrived. Laura Anthony relives the personal challenges she faced caring for own mother with the disease and the series of events that led her to develop a new emotional and touching strategy of interaction that delivers love, comfort, and meaning to both her mother’s life and her own. The goal of The Most Important Lesson is to provide the framework for caregivers and families to create a legacy of their own with their loved one and bring comfort, support, and greater meaning in the process. Society and future generations will benefit from the wisdom of our loved ones when following the guidelines contained in The Most Important Lesson.
SELF IMPROVEMENT Learn how to see the joy and love as we assist people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating diagnosis. How can we, as caregivers, walk through this journey, assisting our loved ones to live life fully? There is a rainbow in the storm, and we, the caregivers, are often the ones that need to be able to look upward. The person with dementia is still the same person that you know; yet he or she is different and unable at times to comprehend what is happening. How can we prepare and embrace these individuals as they travel this road? The frequency of this disease is increasing and now is the time to view it as we do other diseases. People can live fulfilling lives with this disability. We, the caregivers, are the solution as we learn to embrace and enjoy the journey. There is no easy route, and there will be setbacks and crises. I offer this book as simply another tool to assist you along the way. * Discover how you can make a difference through acceptance and gratitude. * Understand the changes that are taking place. * Learn how to take care of yourself. * Find the gifts along the journey.
The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care shows how easily you can make a difference in the life of a family member or client in your care. Here's the help you've been looking for: families will gain a renewed sense of hope, nursing facility staff will find simple applications for resident care, adult day center staff can enrich programming and attract more volunteers, and individuals with emerging Alzheimer's disease will gain valuable insights. Learn new ways to solve problems, encourage positive behavior, and improve communications. Make every day consistently reassuring, enjoyable, and secure.
Overcome the Language Barrier of Dementia When a parent, spouse, sibling, or loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, it can be difficult to know what to do. Your day can spiral into a never-ending series of tasks and attempts to communicate that leave you both frustrated. Instead of burning out, discover a new approach. When your loved one behaves differently than they used to, they’re just communicating in a new way. As caregivers, the most important thing we can do is learn that new language. Navigate the caregiving relationship: In Caregiving Both Ways, Molly Wisniewski offers essential advice for getting to know your loved one and yourself during this new phase of life. Learn to balance your priorities, avoid burning out, and honor self-care. Molly will teach you how to navigate the difficult moments with techniques she’s mastered from years of experience working with people with dementia. Prepare for each stage of care: Caregiving Both Ways is divided into two parts. First, learn how to care for your loved one with dementia and prioritize your new role as caregiver. Next, discover how to build a strong support system with help from professional caregivers and how to prepare for end-of-life care. In Caregiving Both Ways, you’ll find worksheets, exercises, and essential tips for smart, empathetic caregiving. You'll learn how to: • Use non-medical interventions to reduce anxiety • Prioritize and make time for your own care and mental health • Identify triggers that may cause confusion in your loved one • Handle difficult medical decisions • Provide support and validation through all stages of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia Readers who turned to Alzheimer’s books like The 36-Hour Day, When Reasoning No Longer Works, and Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey will love the compassionate approach of Caregiving Both Ways.
A practical guide to helping those living with dementia live their best life in a way that makes sense to them. Essential reading for anyone working with people living with dementia, this book explains the concept of Self-Directed Support and Care for people living with dementia and links the various Person Centred approaches within dementia care with Person Centred Planning and Community based approaches. As the content unfolds, the concept of the Dementia Care Triad (people living with dementia, unpaid carers and professional carers) is explored and developed further to include the layer of community. The links between the health and social care legal context, guidance documents and national dementia strategies are presented with good, actionable practice, approaches, tools and informed advice to achieve Person Centred dementia care and support, with an emphasis on communities Living a Good Life with Dementia will help professionals and carers gain knowledge and insight to be able to develop creative ideas for the care and support they want to have in place.
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.
For nurses working with patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia this book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of reality orientation - a well-established treatment technique.
This book takes the practical approaches and tools provided in 'Living a Good Life with Dementia' and applies them to the family context to help families support a loved one with dementia. A Family Guide to Living Well with Dementia aims to help families and carers gain knowledge and insight to be able to support the person with dementia to live life as they wish. It elaborates on the concept of Self-Directed Support and Care for people living with dementia and links the various Person Centred approaches to dementia care with Person Centred Planning and Community based approaches. This easy-to-follow and accessible guide contains information that is intended to support people to plan for how they want to live their life, receive their care, and for end-of-life planning. Also included in this book is information about people's rights within the health and social care legislation, insight into behaviour and methods of communication as well as the options available to people in way of support, paid and community-based. The concept of the Dementia Care Triad (people living with dementia, unpaid carers and professional carers) is explored and developed further to include the layer of community. Often people who have been diagnosed with dementia and their families report feeling lost and not sure what to do apart from learning to adapt and find a way to do their best in what can often be difficult circumstances. This book provides easy, engaging, and practical content for things to consider and conversations to have so as to be able to provide the best care and support on a basis of sound understanding from everyone involved.
Linda Abbit, founder of Tender Loving Eldercare and a veteran of the caregiving industry, shares her advice on taking care of an older parent or loved one and how to handle everything that goes along with this dramatic life change. Being a caregiver can be a difficult role. It requires patience, tenderness, selflessness, and hard work. Providing care for someone, whether it’s a parent, a loved one, or as a professional requires a high level of self-love and self-care. But while it may be a rewarding experience to care for a loved one, the emotional and physical stress of caregiving can lead to burnout and exhaustion—causing caregivers to put themselves and their own well-being in the background. How can you fulfill your role as a caregiver without losing yourself? Conscious Caregiver teaches you how to navigate caring for your loved one, whether it’s full-time in-house caregiving or hiring support from outside services. With information on how to talk to your loved ones about the situation, handle the emotional stress, stay financially secure, and take the time to care for yourself, this guide can help you care for your loved one and yourself at the same time.
