Alzheimer's For Dummies [Paperback]

Patricia B. Smith (Author), Mary M. Kenan PsyD (Author), Mark Edwin Kunik MD MPH (Author), Leeza Gibbons (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2003

An estimated 4 million people are living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in America today, with approximately 370,000 new cases diagnosed every year. AD patients live anywhere from 5 to 20 years after their diagnosis; and their inability to care for themselves grows more dramatic as the disease progresses, creating profound implications for their families and healthcare providers. Its impact on families during the caregiving years is overwhelming.

If you have a family member or close friend who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and you’re looking for current, useful information, then Alzheimer’s For Dummies is for you. This reference guide also is helpful if you

• Need to know more about its diagnosis and treatment
• Want to take care of yourself while taking care of your loved one
• Are not the primary caregiver but want to know how to help
• Want to know how Alzheimer’s Disease is going to affect you and your loved one

Alzheimer’s For Dummies takes a realistic look at Alzheimer’s Disease, what it is and what it isn’t. It offers pertinent, easy-to-understand advice for dealing with the myriad concerns and responsibilities that a primary caregiver must assume when managing an Alzheimer’s patient. Here’s a sampling of the information you’ll find in this valuable guide:

• Maneuvering through medical, legal, and financial tangles
• Distinguishing AD from other brain diseases and medical conditions
• Handling the fears that may accompany the diagnosis
• Evaluating current drug therapies; watching out for scams and quack treatments
• Finding the best doctors; dealing with attorneys and CPAs
• Looking at Medicare regulations
• Evaluating the cost of care
• The current state of research, diagnosis, and treatment

Television personality Leeza Gibbons, whose mother was stricken with AD, writes in the foreword of this book, “There is no upside to keeping your head in the sand. This book is a crucial step in your new fight. Arm yourself with the knowledge waiting for you in these pages. It will help you find answers and resources as you adjust to your new reality.”

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"I wish I had this book when my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This is a powerful tool for those who battle this disease."
—Leeza Gibbons

Manage medical, financial, and legal issues

Reassuring ways to take care of your loved one–and yourself

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's? This compassionate guide presents the latest information on the symptoms, diagnosis, stages of the illness, and treatments, as well as the different types of care available.

Discover how to:

• Obtain a reliable diagnosis
• Evaluate drug therapies
• Identify scams and ineffective treatments
• Take part in clinical trials
• Cope with stress and exhaustion

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Patricia B. Smith is an award-winning medical writer.

Mary Mitchell Kenan, PsyD, is the Director of Education for Baylor College of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

Mark Edwin Kunik, MD, MPH, is a geriatric psychiatrist at the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and Baylor College of Medicine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764538993
• ISBN-13: 978-0764538995
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't judge a book by its cover..., December 14, 2003

By 

Patricia B. Smith (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alzheimer's For Dummies (Paperback)

I am the author of this book. I lost my beloved mother and my aunt and another relative to Alzheimer's, so in addition to being an experienced medical writer, I have had heart-wrenching personal experience with this devastating disease.

I argued about the title when I was asked to write this book, but eventually the folks at Wiley convinced me that since the Dummies brand is so ubiquitous that people would understand and not take offense. And yet you have taken offense without reading a single word of the book, or knowing anything about the year of research and interviewing I put in to make the book the very best it could be and the easiest to understand.

During the writing of this book, I also had to confront all my own buried sorrows and heartbreak about my mother's illness and death, so the entire process was fairly torturous. Yet, I persevered because I believed in the book and hoped it could serve to spread the message about the importance of early intervention and appropriate use of medication for people with AD.

The Alzheimer's Association is absolutely wonderful and they do an incredible job; we are blessed with a terrific branch staffed with warm and caring people here in Houston. But not every city or town in America is fortunate enough to have a branch nearby; I wrote this book to help people who don't have ready access to support services and who are struggling with medical, legal and finacial issues as well as the emotional problems and family strain that caring for an Alzheimer's patient can bring.

If you had read the book and then said you didn't like it would be one thing. But to judge a book by its cover not only brings the old cliche roaring to vibrant new life but also denigrates the love, care, research and hard work that all three authors put into this book.

Patricia B. Smith

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good addition to a collection of Alzheimer's books, December 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Alzheimer's For Dummies (Paperback)

Alzheimer's for Dummies does a good job in presenting the information relating to care giving and decision making for families of Alzheimer's patients.

During my mother's bout with Alzheimer's, I looked for resources that would give me clear understanding and answers of what was happening now and what was going to happen down the road. This book is one of several that I have on the subject. It does not make light of the disease or the issues being faced, but does present good information in a way that is understandable and clear.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good information, December 18, 2003

By 

a reader (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alzheimer's For Dummies (Paperback)

As an adult child of an Alzheimer's patient searching for as much information as I can about Alzheimer's disease, I find most books to have very little of the humor I desperately need to find to help me cope as the disease progresses. As a person who is living through the progressive loss of a loved one to this disease, I don't find this book to be insensitive or belittling, but refreshing and honest. I have shared this book with other family members and we have all found it helpful.