An estimated 50 million Americans are responsible for caring for a relative with Alzheimer!s disease"either at home or in a nursing home. Knowles, a freelance writer from North Carolina, offers a thoughtful account of how she and her three siblings dealt with the practicalities of finding appropriate care for their mother after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer!s: making difficult decisions about nursing-home placement, financial arrangements, and treatment options and coping with insensitive medical experts. The strength of her story lies in her honest account of watching her mother decline into an angry, violent person who no longer recognizes her daughter and bears little resemblance to her once loving and capable parent. As her mother!s condition deteriorates, Knowles ponders how to bring happiness to a parent!s life when memory is gone and only the senses remain. We can touch. We can hold hands and hug. We can provide the best we have. Just as we would for a child. Complementing Charles Pierce!s own memoir, Hard To Forget (LJ 4/15/00), this is suitable for aging collections. (This title appeared previously in a different form as Alzheimer!s: The Last Childhood, Research Triangle Publishing, 1997.)"Karen Ann Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
When Carrie Knowles and her siblings learned that their mother was suffering from Alzheimer's, they joined more than 50 million other Americans who are providing long-term care to an Alzheimer's victim in their family. In The Last Childhood, Knowles presents the first realistic voice on what it's like to be in this position. She speaks frankly about the emotional toll the disease can have on caregivers, explains what to expect as the disease progresses through its stages, illustrates through her own experience the numerous decisions families must make along the way, and provides information on such
topics as:
Understanding the symptoms of Alzheimer's
Communicating effectively with the patient's doctor
Deciding who in your family will be the primary caregiver
Becoming a legal guardian for your ailing spouse or relative
Choosing an assisted living center
Letting go of negative feelings such as guilt and regret
Taking care of the caregiver
Written with compassion and empathy, and recognizing that the battle with Alzheimer's is never an easy one, The Last Childhood will leave you feeling comforted, enlightened, and hopeful. Whether you are a child, spouse, relative, or friend of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's, whether you are the primary caregiver or not, this book will be an invaluable source of inspiration and support.
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