Talking to Alzheimer's: Simple Ways to Connect When You Visit with a Family Member or Friend (Paperback)

by Claudia J. Strauss (Author) "Getting started comes down to two things..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Few books manage to balance practical suggestions and loving sympathy as well as Talking to Alzheimer's, a concise and comprehensive guide to communication with both paid caregivers and their patients. While the title suggests focus on a specific disease, the recommendations are appropriate for any family struggling with serious communication issues, whether those issues are the result of stroke, surgery, disease, or an accident.

Much of the book discusses methods of easing conversation during visits, as well as ways to manage the emotions that can surface in difficult times. From asking open-ended questions like, "How did your day go?" to gently reintroducing yourself to lifelong friends, the pointers here are written with kindness, and they focus on maintaining dignity for all involved. Short sections include tips on involving children in your visits and a welcome list of resources that spans organizations, Web sites, and additional books; this straightforward advice even includes expected response time to Web site inquiries. Instead of an index, you'll find a list of topics, so you can find immediate answers on "ending a conversation" and "when to insist."

One lengthy chapter covers the heartbreakers, such as dealing with refusals to eat or listening to tearful requests to be taken home. Author Claudia Strauss acknowledges the difficulty of these situations honestly, while at the same time providing simple words that can help diffuse the issues and open the path for joyful visits that benefit everyone involved. --Jill Lightner

Review
What a wonderful contribution! There's nothing out there like it. It's so carefully and respectfully written and also very practical. -- Lisa Snyder, author, Speaking Our Minds: Personal Reflections from Individuals with Alzheimer's

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (January 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572242701
• ISBN-13: 978-1572242708
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #68 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Aging Parents > Aging
  #78 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Alzheimer's Disease
  #96 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Nervous System

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you've ever wondered "what do I say" this tells you..., March 26, 2002

By	bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is really the book my family has been needing. We want so badly to keep connecting with my father-in-law but it's hard to know how to hold a conversation with someone who rarely knows what time of day it is. We love him and we want desparately for him to now that, but how?

Ms. Strauss offers a practical, informative, and hopeful guide, lists of 'dos and donts' rather than a medicial or theoretical guide. Since I've had this book I have been able to connect to Pop in a much more rewarding way for both of us. I highly recommend it to those who still want to connect!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide for Training Caregivers, September 26, 2002

By	M KIRK-DUGGAN "Reverse Mike" (El Cerrito Fellowship, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a middle stage Alzheimer [aka CRSer], it has been my burden, duty and responsibility to train my Caregivers in how to communicate with me. This has been psychologically draining, and I have wished for a simple guide, so that I could say what works and does not work in caring for this rapidly deteriorating newly discovered "Dependant."

There is a well known acronym, K.I.S.S., which is inaccurately translated as "Keep It Simple, Sweetie(?)." As an educator, I have always encouraged the use of trots, Cliff Notes, Classic Comics, and the "Idiot's Guide" series. All of these are written to inform unknowing readers in depth of subjects of interest, in simple understandable terminology. "Talking to Alzheimer's" is just such a tome. I have strongly recommended it to the facilitors of my Berkeley ALZ Support Groups, as a Bible or Koran for recalcitrant Caregivers. It works!!!
With it in hand, we ALZers and Caregivers can and will communicate thoughtfully and without unnecessary stress. Words leave us, but our souls remain. Strauss is one of the best in this genre.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Title, November 5, 2003

By A Customer

Based on the previous reviews, I thought this book would have some helpful techniques for conversing with my grandmother and father-in-law who are both suffering from Alzheimer's. However, this book is geared towards volunteer care/visitors, not family. A lot of the techniques suggested would not work if you are a family member of a Alzheimer's patient. It was definitely not the worth the money!