Books about dementia

Some time ago I started a reading list that I called "Death, Dementia, and Being a Mess".

I've referenced my issues with "mission creep" before. 

As it is, I haven't read anything new about dementia or death for a while, though there has been a resurgence in dealing with those issues this year. Figuring out being a mess is a whole separate issue, though I think some of my reading relating to trauma, daughters, and adoption will go with that.

(Just for clarification, I am not adopted, but works on that cover some related issues.)

Anyway, if you end up having to deal with the dementia of a loved one, here are some books that you may find helpful, as well as a couple that might sound helpful but really aren't.

Practical books for caregivers

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins

This is the most complete of the books, which can make it pretty overwhelming. It is also really well-organized, so you can focus on the relevant sections as you need them.

Help is Here: When Someone You Love Has Dementia by Marian O. Hodges and Anne P. Hill 

Also very thorough with good advice. A lot of caregiver programs will recommend this one.

Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (Anderson, Murphy, and Troyer)  

This one is not quite as strong as the other two, but can still be helpful.  

More on the emotional side 

Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live With Unresolved Grief by Pauline G. Boss
Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope While Coping with Stress and Grief by Pauline G. Boss

Pauline Boss is the boss of unresolved grief, which comes up a lot with dementia. 

If I recall correctly, the field started for families of POWs and MIA soldiers, where there was loss but not with the finality that can be a signal for healing. 

We have been losing parts of our mother for over twelve years. That's been a lot of pain. Even as we get closer to our own finality, there are just a lot of terrible feelings. You can't fix it, but you can understand it better.

Actually, I just found that she has a new one out that I need to read.

There are always new developments. 

Getting a new perspective 

The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis by Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George

This sounds like a conspiracy theory book, but that's a different one. 

It does examine some traditional ways of thinking that were outdated or not well thought out, but it might be outdated. I mainly remember getting a new perspective on amyloid plaques, but the general knowledge may have caught up by now.

The Gift of Alzheimer's: New Insights into the Potential of Alzheimer's and Its Care by Maggie LaTourelle

There is a nice idea here, but it tries to be more profound than it is. 

LaTourelle felt that some of her mother's sayings that didn't make sense might indicate a  more profound understanding, like what could a "broken modality" mean, when modalities aren't things that get broken?

Regardless, I think it is worth lovingly listening to what your loved one is saying. My mother told many stories about children that never existed and her helping them with their problems. Maybe she was working through anxieties she'd had about motherhood and her parenting; I know that had been a constant worry for her.

I think there will be a time when more of this will make sense, and maybe it won't seem so cruel. 

You don't need this book for that.

Children's books

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, 
Grandpa's Music: A Story About Alzheimer's by Allison Acheson, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth

You probably have no idea how many children's books about Alzheimer's there are. These are both pretty good, including honoring the capabilities the grandparent had and helping children to understand in an age appropriate manner. 

I'm still angry about this one 

The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dale E. Bredesen

This gives you thirty-six different areas to work on so that you don't need to have Alzheimer's, even though it admits that a lot of them aren't backed up by science. It would be almost impossible to do all of them perfectly and you will buy lots of supplements. The real moral of the story is to knock yourself out trying, then you will still fail but it will be your fault.

I was going to check and see if he has been appointed to anything by Trump, but NIH still has a page that's kind of critical of him, so maybe not:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7377549/ 

Related posts: 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2016/04/reading-for-brain.html