Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book is informative, explicit for people who know nothing about mental health and diseases of the mind. Good for the lay person, the afflicted person, all of the family. Gives insight and helps with understanding care of the patient, and the grief involved for those around the patient. Good reference--I will be using it in a church group setting also.

This book covers every aspect of the disease, and will be dog eared and reread as things progress. It helps the reader understand what is happening, how to deal with a person's deterioration more effectively, useful strategies, and preparation for the next phase of the disease. You will feel that you are not alone, and the book provides a sense of comfort and empowerment in dealing with this catastrophic illness. It was by the bedside table on each member of the family, during the entire 7 and a half year decline of a loved one. An essential resource.

The small type notwithstanding, this book has been so helpful to us in understanding how to deal with our family member and her spouse. Each experience we have had seems to be covered; I wish we had bought this when we first noticed symptoms, long before she was diagnosed, and long before her spouse would admit there was a problem. However, we did find that when we gave it to the (elderly) spouse, he did not read it and found the large amount of material daunting. I don't think a smaller type face would have helped, as the other reviewers indicated, because it would have then been even a longer, larger book. What he finally *would* read was only a brochure from the doctor, which was very basic.

This is THE VERY BEST BOOK for a caregiver who has a person in their life with Alzheimer, or related dementing illnesses. I have referred the book to many caregivers. Just the first few pages of the book educated me on what is going on with my Mother and how to handle and cope with her disease. It is a MUST READ!!! Too many books just give individual's stories. This book helps you understand their behavior, how to deal with it and how to... I can't say enough good things about this book. Thank you, Thank you, Nancy Mace, you did us a great favor in writing this book.
P.S. Don't skip any chapters. I skipped the one "What Happens When Something Happens To The Caregiver" --needless to say, I fell and fractured my knee and was out of commission for awhile...had to go back and read that chapter.

This book is definitely a must have if you are caring for someone with Alzheimer Disease. It is informative, helpful and provides creative ways to deal with this devastating disease. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is caring for a person with Alzheimer Disease or may find themselves doing so in the future.

This book was recommended to me to help with understanding and decisions that need to be made about an elderly relative. As my relative is already in an assisted living program this book was not as helpful as I was hoping. I would get this book if you are at the beginning of the oddessy of making decisions for caring for a relative. It appears that it would be very useful to people who are caring for an individual in their home and making decisions for full time nursing care facilities, getting extra help at home and day care facilities. This is a very practical book. It does not provide enough information for understanding the psychology of the person with dementia.

When my Mother's bizarre behavior became too frequent to ignore, a professional friend and counselor recommended the "36 Hour Day," and that made all the difference. I have since recommended the "36 hour day" to dozens of people coping with a loved one's dementia. I strongly recommend it to you. The "36 hour day" helped me to realize that I was dealing with a disease process, not just a difficult personality. My anger was relaced with sympathy and understanding. From that day forward, I was able to plan rationally for my mother's care. It is now 15 years later and, at 92, she is total care in a nursing home. The complete story of her journey can be read in my own recently published memoir. But don't delay. The "36 Hour Day" and the other great books about dementia can make an important difference for you too.

Robert Tell, Author of "DEMENTIA DIARY, A Care Giver's Journal"

I can't say enough good things about this book. It has been so very helpful in dealing with and understanding by Dad's battle with Alzheimers. Everyone in my family has read this book and found help and understanding through it. Even if you don't have time to sit down and read the entire book, you can go to the section that covers the specific problem you are currently dealing with and get some insight into what might be helpful. It really gives you a great deal of insight into what people with memory loss go through and helps yo to realize that they aren't just trying to make you crazy (and you will have that moment).

My husband is in the early stages of Alzheimers. The book validated many of the behaviors I am seeing in him. It has also shown me that I am correctly handling these behaviors. The book was recommended to me by my doctor and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with an Alzheimers patient, especially if they are the only caregiver.

This book was recommended to me because of my caring for an elderly parent. Wish i had had it sooner!