I've read your book and I have to say I'm very impressed!!! > It's not only a very loving tribute to your mother and interesting memoir but also offers excellent information about Alzheimer's with invaluable resources. You state the primary goal is to help caregivers, health care, legal, insurance and financial professionals, and social workers. I agree but would go further . . I think it's excellent information for everyone. As a society, we need to understand the devastation and havoc wrought by this disease. On a personal level and as you mention, a loved one may be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Additionally, with increased public awareness hopefully more dollars will be made available for more research yielding more strategies to combat this dreadful disease to decrease its prevalence and offer valid prevention strategies. Your book is very well thought out and well organized! I like that the stages of the disease are so well described and easy for the reader to reference pertinent information. You and your Mom's experiences at the various stages make for more interesting reading and make the information more relatable and real to the reader. Your recommendations based on insight gained from your personal experiences will be extremely helpful to anyone facing a similar situation. Additionally, you really educate the reader in so many ways from the extensive background of the disease to how to deal with stress, how to problem solve, to useful charts such as "Figure 15 :Normal Age Related vs. Alzheimer's Disease Memory Changes." I can see people finding this chart very useful as they try to determine if behaviors are normal due to age or something more serious such as Alzheimer's. You also offer invaluable advice on spending quality time with a loved one and the importance of finding the right care facility board and care and Nursing home evaluation. The photos of your Mom at the various stages are also very helpful in that they illustrate visually the progression of the disease. I also liked the four photos of your Mom on the cover. In summary, your book is really the "A to Z guide" to caring for someone with Alzheimer's! It is so thorough providing knowledge, personal experiences, recommendations, and numerous resources that it is "The" book people need to read and have on hand for easy reference when dealing with Alzheimer's. This information would lend itself very well to a lecture format. You have all the prerequisites for success . . . . content, expertise, personal experience, engaging speaking style, excellent story telling skills, invaluable information people want and need to know and an organized thoughtful approach! Thanks so much for sending the book to me. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it this summer. My heart goes out to you for what you had to endure and go through! It's so nice of you to write this book to make others' journeys less painful. Kudos to you!!! I can see why you consider this book to be so significant in your life; it is a treasure for others facing similar circumstances! |