Amazing Grace: Enjoying Alzheimer's [Hardcover]

Ray Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

When Ray Smith's much-loved wide Grace developed the first symptoms of Alzheimer's, the couple decided on a radical approach to the problem. Instead of succumbing to despair, they decided to treat the illness as simply the latest adventure in their long and loving marriage. They researched convential and holistic treatments, learning how to successfully control the disease, and then embarked on a series of glorious adventures to India, Italy, and South America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: John Blake (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843580896
• ISBN-13: 978-1843580898
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,150,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ray Smith's Alzheimer Mission, June 21, 2008

By 

K. Smith "Kenny Smith" (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amazing Grace: Enjoying Alzheimer's (Hardcover)

Ray is a man on a mission. He wants to make people more aware of the way that people suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia are currently treated and the difference that, rather than medicating them, simply treating them with understanding, dignity and respect can make.

Ray's story, which is told in his book "Amazing Grace: Enjoying Alzheimer's", is a very personal one - a true love story of dedication and determination but one that has potential significance to many millions of people whose families may be devastated by the effect that Alzheimer's could have on one of their loved ones.

The following statistics show just how many people could be affected by Alzheimer's:
* 4.5 million cases in America (Alzheimer's Association, 2004)
* Prevalence of Alzheimer's expected to increase to 11.3-16 million cases in America by 2050 (Alzheimer's Association, 2004)
* 19 million people had a family member with Alzheimer's in the US (ADEAR)
* 1 in 10 over 65 years in the US have Alzheimer's (ADEAR)
* Nearly 50% of those over 85 years in the US have Alzheimer's (ADEAR)
* Alzheimer's disease, or senile dementia, is one of those maladies that society finds unacceptable and therefore it is not widely discussed - public awareness needs to be raised, so that possible warning signs can be spotted at the earliest stage and the best treatment strategies implemented as soon as possible.

Finally, I should mention that Ray is my father and it was my mother, Grace, who Ray cared for with such devotion during the last 11-12 year's of her life during which she suffered from Alzheimer's.


Amazing Grace: Enjoying Alzheimer's by Ray Smith

Ray Smith has never been what you could describe as a conventional man. He trained as a nurse at a time when male nurses were something of a rare phenomenon and established a travelling art gallery touring the lowlands and highlands of Scotland, selling old masters and contemporary art from the back of his van.

So when Ray's wife, Grace, first started showing signs of Alzheimer's disease (sometimes referred to as dementia) one of his first acts was to take her to the Princeton Brain Bio Centre in New Jersey where Grace was prescribed high powered vitamins, minerals and Omega 3. Ray firmly believes that these nutritional supplements allowed him to continue as Grace's devoted sole carer until her death nearly 12 years later.

You may think caring for a patient with progressive dementia would be hard enough in the familiarity and comfort of your own home, but early on Ray decided that he wanted to give Grace the very best quality of life he could and for him that meant ensuring that she continued to benefit from stimulation and enjoyment, even if her pleasure could only ever be transitory. To this end Ray sold their Scottish home and used the money to take Grace travelling on a shoe string.

With determination and devotion, Ray ensured that Grace continued to enjoy new experiences for as long as possible and the many pictures of them on their travels are a testament to the fact that Grace clearly did get a sense of pleasure from these expeditions to Europe, Asia, China and South America.

Although people suffering from Alzheimer's disease frequently display difficult behaviours and may become aggressive, frequently resulting in their being treated with sedatives or mood altering drugs, Ray insists that Grace rarely exhibited any such symptoms and that any slight disruption could be managed by adjusting the nutritional supplements with which Grace was treated in preference to more traditional medicine.

When Grace eventually became too frail to continue her travels with Ray, the couple returned to the UK where Ray cared for her until her death. Ray has since filled his time with writing a book about their life and adventures "Amazing Grace: Enjoying Alzheimer's" and travelling promoting his views on the treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's.

As you might expect, Ray is a passionate advocate of the rights of all Alzheimer's patients to be treated as individuals, with care and dignity. He is also pretty scathing of the medical professions' approach to treating dementia sufferers, citing articles in publications such as the newsletter of the National Alzheimer's Society1 and The British Medical Journal2 along with other studies widely reported in the media3 that conclude the prevalent treatment of Alzheimer's patients with tranquilizers and neuroleptic drugs may result in premature death and that person-centred care and good-practice in the management of patients with dementia with behavioural symptoms provides an effective alternative to neuroleptics. Ray, in his typically quietly forthright manner, describes Alzheimer's patients who are being treated by conventional medicine as having joined death row.

You may not feel that any of this has direct bearing on your life, but with people living longer and therefore an ageing population, more and more of us are likely to be coming into contact with someone with Alzheimer's disease and should that be a loved one or even you yourself, you would want to be sure that you were treated with the care and dignity that you - that everyone - deserves. We need people like Ray Smith to promote the interest of those who perhaps otherwise wouldn't have a voice.

1 Newsletter of the National Alzheimer's Society - "Picking a Winner"
2 British Medical Journal, 16 March 2006 - "Effect of Enhanced Psychosocial Care on Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Home Residents with Severe Dementia: Cluster Randomised Trial"
3 A randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial in dementia patients continuing or stopping neuroleptics

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