The journey through dementia or Alzheimer's is a challenge filled with riddles and mazes that families often cannot solve. This is the story of one such journey told through the eyes of a daughter who loses her mother to dementia only to find a new and different relationship.
Marie is now 94 years old, but once she was a vibrant member of the "Greatest Generation". She grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, danced to the Big Band sound, married a WWII veteran, raised a family, and then had to adjust to retirement and widowhood. Soon she experienced forgetfulness that seemed typical to aging. But as time passed, memory lapses grew deeper, and finally a car accident triggered the beginning of a new and unwelcome journey.
Through a series of vignettes, the stages of dementia are unfolded here in ways that will look familiar to caregivers. Far from a medical journal, this story is about real people experiencing frightening changes in daily life. Practical tips are included that help caregivers communicate in when words no longer work with their loved ones. A listing of helpful websites and books is included for further investigation.
Caregivers are a huge, silent group of over 8.9 million paid and unpaid workers in America. These solitary caregivers are often family members desperate for techniques that work with dementia patients, not theory. Their lives and their level of success with patients or loved ones can be improved with the techniques in this book.
Today, over six million Americans have dementia or Alzheimer's. But as the baby boomers age, fully 10 million Americans will suffer from the disease. This book is aimed at the 8.9 million caregivers who quietly tend to adults with dementia. This largely unrecognized group struggles silently to keep their loved ones safe and bring dignity to a trying time of life.
Out of Focus: Snapshots of Life with Dementia is an intimate look at one family fighting dementia and tells the story from diagnosis to assisted living. As caregivers struggle to bring dignity to their loved ones during a trying time, they will see this frightening subject is really a love story. Caregivers need to know they are not alone in the journey.