Open A Window [Paperback]

Fay Risner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2008

Taking care of my father for ten long years while he battled Alzheimer's disease gave me experience and a insight that has taught me how to take care of others suffering from the disease. They each have a window that needs to be opened. In this book, I'll show you how I did it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book shares what is possible if we allow a person with Alzheimer's to "be" who they are right now.  Thank you for "opening" a window.

Jolene Brackey


--Jolene Brackey - author of Creating Moments Of Joy

From the Author

My ability to write this book came from the fact I had over fifteen years in long term care taking care of people with dementia and helping their family and friends to understand what was happening to the loved one.  My father had Alzheimer's for the last ten years of his life.  I helped my mother take care of him.  For eight years I was facilitator of a support group.  In 2004 I was award Iowa's Nurse Aide of the year and in 2006 I was awarded the Alzheimer's Association Professional Caregiver of the year.

This book has been a big help to educate people about Alzheimer's including health class at the high school level and training Certified Nurse Aides to work in long term care.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438244991
• ISBN-13: 978-1438244990
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,544,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fay Risner, born in the Missouri Ozarks, has spent most of her life in Iowa. She's placed in numerous short story and essay contests and is the author of 18 books sold on Amazon. Her life experiences are reflected in many of her books. She recently retired from the local nursing home where she was a CNA for 15 years. An Alzheimer's advocate, Fay does public speaking and written books about how to care for a person with Alzheimer's. "Open A Window" An Alzheimer's Caregiver Handbook is used to train CNAs, at support groups and educates home caregivers. Fay was awarded 2004 Nurse Aide from Iowa Health Care Association and 2006 Professional Caregiver from the Alzheimer's Association. Fay's latest writings have been books in the Nurse Hal Among The Amish series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple stories, profound implications, December 1, 2009

By 

C. Wright (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Open A Window (Paperback)

This caregiver has taken the care to detail a number of real life interactions she's experienced while caregiving her own father and the many Alzheimer's patients at the nursing home. She's won awards for her caregiving efforts, actually.

What many people do not realize when first dealing with Alzheimer's is that the sufferer still has a lot of memory cords left, triggers that will move them, calm them, agitate them...have meaning for them. One woman patient would go around the nursing home yelling out numbers. The caregivers eventually made a game of it with the woman, and it wasn't until the woman died that they were told the patient was an avid bingo player. If they'd only known, they could have worked the concept a bit and offered the woman more of a connection to her pleasurable memories.

Other patients would follow the caregivers around, or hang around the nursing station, checking on things. They then found these patients were nurses themselves, and thought they should be on the job.

Lots of examples, simple stories told with heart. Will help anyone caring for people with memory problems.

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from Author and speaker Jolene Brackey, August 3, 2008

By 

Fay Risner "booksbyfay" (Keystone, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open A Window (Paperback)

A review from well known Alzheimer's speaker and author of "Creating Moment Of Joy" Jolene Brackey -- This book shares what is possible if we allow a person with Alzheimer's to "be" who they are right now. Thank you for "opening" a window.