Customer Reviews

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss Later in Life

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease, other diseases of dementia, or severe memory loss disorders, know just how difficult and consuming it is to care for someone you love. Whether you're a family member, caring for a loved one, or any of a number of healthcare providers, "The 36-Hour Day" is an absolute must-read for all. Put simply, it is a true necessity for anyone involved in the care giving process of dementia-type disorders.

My 73 year old Father was diagnosed, about 8 years ago, with a "memory problem", by his family practitioner in New York. It was far more than simple memory loss, not unusual for someone his age, and the past 4 years of my life have been dedicated to his total care. As much as I love my Father, the demands of caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease has literally taken over my entire life and in every imaginable way. It is exhausting, depressing, frustrating, demanding and progressively gets worse. And, yes, there have been many special moments that I will treasure forever. I saw a side of my Dad, at times, that was much more loving and compassionate than I ever knew him to be. We played music, talked about old times, watched old movies and tried to harness ourselves into anything and everything that would build his confidence.

The bottom line, however, is that Alzheimer's is a disease that affects the entire family unit. And it's not uncommon for a caregiver to place his/her needs on the back burner, often to a point where they neglect themselves so badly that they become too ill to provide care for their loved on. Families have been torn apart, marriages have ended and friendships neglected that they dissolved. I've also seen people come together in ways that were miraculous. It is so necessary to take care of the caregivers, to offer them respite and to educate family members so they will have the tools to make it through the toughest of times. And, finally, one book does it all.

I believe that reading "The 36-Hour Day" is the first step in understanding Alzheimer's Disease, along with other dementia-type illnesses, and one of the most important and necessary steps a caregiver can take to prepare themselves for the very long road ahead. My friends who are reading this review, this is a very long journey that will require so much of your time, energy, compassion, passion and love. The best advice I can give you is to provide a pathway that will allow you to better understand what lies before you. There is no need to go this road alone. Support is necessary and so is reading literature and books that help you in order that you may help someone else. "The 36-Hour Day" is outstanding and comprehensive in every respect. If I were a wealthy person, I'd supply a copy to anyone who needed one.

Even though I am with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide all of his care, just this morning he asked me who I was. I reassured him, as I always do, and told him that I was his child, that my name is Peter and that he need not ever worry or get frustrated over trying to remember me or anyone else. Although it kills me inside, to hear this day after day and to see him continually get worse, my job is to remain strong and not take anything personal. None of this is his fault and nowhere, other than in this book, will you ever find the sort of comprehensive guide to caring for someone like my Dad. These memory disorders are far more devastating than the public and the healthcare world can comprehend.

Alzheimer's Disease is not merely forgetting where the car keys were placed or forgetting the name of a neighbor that you might see twice a year. Alzheimer's dementia is about losing everything it is that ever made you who you are. It is about having your rights to drive, and other similar freedoms, taken away. It is about losing your total privacy and needing the assistance of a caregiver to help with cooking or paying bills. Safety becomes the main concern of those who love and care for someone with dementia. It is more than just forgetting ingredients to recipes or the names of famous baseball players. Eventually, it will become more difficult and painful for the caregivers than the suffering patient. And my deep concern is for the caregivers who are still living and have a good life ahead. If our loved ones could speak, they would thank us for everything we have done and ask that we move forward with our lives.

I hope this has helped, even just a little bit. Bless all of you for taking the time to read this. You have my contact information below and feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this book or even if you just need someone to chat with. The book will teach you the importance of reaching out to others. My hand is waiting to grasp onto yours.

My Sincere Warmth and Regards


Peter V. Cannice
of Scottsdale, Arizona
Email: Horsepete@aol.com

A truly remarkable book. It is well written, and very easy to read and follow, providing a background in this disease and what can/will happen to those afflicted. Providing extremely helpful insights and strategies for those of us who are caregivers, spouses, sons, daughters, and other family and friends. Personally, this book helped me to understand what was happening to my mother, helped me to be more understanding and less frustrated and annoyed with her. This book provides a great deal of insight and allows the reader to get a "feel" for the current situation and possible future situations. I have recommended this book to my personal physician to pass along to her other patients who may be in the same position as I am.

My Mom has alzeheimers, I didn't think anyone was going through what I was until I read this book, It made me feel like I wasnt alone in this... Alzeheimers is a horrible disease, taking care of someone who has it rips your heart out... This book will help you deal with the everday's of taking care of someone... I recommend it to anyone who is going through this...

this book was published about 5 years ago. at that time, it was up to date. while much of the neuroimagining and neuroscience has changed during that time, frankly, little has changed in how we protect, communicate with, comfort, love our loved ones or how we take care of ourselves. this book is longer than most. i like that. it gives background information, discusses alternatives with pros and cons, whereas some of the shorter alzheimer books are written more like a physician's pocket resource guide. this is an excellent book. it is one that i have recommended and loaned out to patients' families dozens of times. i always hear the same thing - the book is an invaluable resource. my hope is that nancy mace updates it again soon! this book is well worth the price, new, and perhaps more (did i really say that?)

I am currently on my 2nd paperback copy, and it's very well thumbed and soon to be replaced. As a full time caregiver facing the horror of Alzheimer's Disease along with all the hard work and emotional trauma, I find myself returning again and again to this book. Real life answers for the unreal life of coping with dementia in someone you love.

This review is not about the quatity of the book. So far I find it to be full of excellent advise and information.

THIS IS AN OLD EDITION! I was shocked to discover a third edition in a book store last night. The latest edition contains updated information about current treatments, the latest financial information and nursing home legislation.

So buy the book but get the third edition. It is paperback and has different cover.

Well written and informative book. Very practical for concerned family members. I use this book as the gold standard of information for the familiy members of clients I am working with.

I have recommended this book many times to people who have the heart-breaking task of caring for a family member with Alzheimer Disease or some other form of dementia. This book is the most practical and compassionate guide yet, and is now updated with some recent research (though new research is appearing almost every 6 months!) The most important gift of this book will be an understanding of the most frustrating and exhausting aspects of such caregiving, and the very useful solutions she offers that actually are effective.
Since my medical specialty is to try to prevent dementia, and other age related diseases, I hope my patients arrive in my office long before they have this debilitating disease.

After you get this book, and have learned to care for your aging elder with less stress and burnout for yourself, consider what you can do to prevent this from happening to you!

Dr. Tedde Rinker, Anti-Aging Medical Specialist, Redwood City, CA www.stress-medicine.com

If you have a family member or friend that is showing signs of dimentia, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It's not easy to read, because the subject is a hard one if you are exposed to someone with diminishing mental functions, but that's not the books fault. I have read about 40% of it, and have already learned more than I have in all of my other research on the Internet and in reading a couple of other books and talking to many people. It's well written, the language is easy to read (even if the subject matter is difficult to face), and it provides factual information that is entirely relevant. There is a chapter that explains many of the behavior changes you may face, with excellent suggestions on how to deal with each of them. Most sound like common sense once you read them, some are counterintuitive, but I believe all are more effective than what I had been doing. Knowing the most loving responses to a situation doesn't always give you the ability to implement them in the moment, but knowing is better than ignorance. Parts of this book are worth reading a few times, as you learn and try things and come back and review what's working and what isn't in re-reading the key parts of the book. I highly recommend the book.

The 36-Hour Day touches on topics that will become the stuff your life is made of if you are a caregiver. The book discusses the stages of the disease, behavioral issues and prescriptive advise for caregivers. It is essential reading for those who care for someone with Alzheimer's disease.