The following review of my book (Come Back Early Today: A Memoir of Love, Alzheimer’s and Joy) by Craig Thomas is the funniest one I’ve ever received: “Once I started, there was absolutely no way to stop reading this book until its final page. The house is a mess and I don’t care! Brava!”
The Journey of a Lifetime: The Caregiver’s Guide to Self-Care, by Jane Meier Hamilton, MSN, RN. Infinity. 2010. 129 pages. Available on www.Amazon.com.
Ms. Hamilton has been a psychiatric nurse for 35 years and a family caregiver for 20 years. For 8 of those years she cared for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s. She also founded a company called Partners on the Path (www.partnersonthepath.com).
Many helpful caregiver resources are included in this book. Each chapter presents: 1) A story from the author’s Alzheimer’s caregiving experience, 2) Practical self-care recommendations, 3) Suggested self-care activities, 4) Other caregiver resources, and 5) Inspiring quotes from authors, philosophers, and others. The book also includes questionnaires to help readers assess their caregiving experiences.
The nice things about this book are that it’s short, easy to read, and to the point. Also, it focuses on down-to-earth, practical strategies caregivers can immediately put into practice. This makes it a valuable resource for those who don’t have time to read long, complicated self-care manuals. I highly recommend this book to you.
He’s a gerontologist; she’s a former Montessori teacher and administrator. It was only a matter of time until they merged their talents and developed the Montessori Method for Positive Dementia Care. They use the Montessori Method in cutting-edge ways to support memory function and improve the quality of life in aging populations.
Together they train family members, professional caregivers and medical staff in the use of interventions for persons who have dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Brenners use the Montessori Method as the foundation for their evidence-based memory support program. This program uses the five senses, muscle memory and spiritual engagement to maintain connections for persons with memory loss.
At their numerous speaking engagements over the past few years they were always asked if they had a book detailing their approach. They didn’t. So they finally realized they needed to write one. And here it is. It was just published in February of this year.
For me, one of the most important features of this book is the positive attitude the authors espouse about people with dementia and their caregivers, as illustrated by this passage from the book:
“People with dementia are not the walking dead, being in a relationship with someone who happens to have this condition is not just one long good bye. We have to find a new way to say hello.”
The authors state that oftentimes, when friends and family hear the words “Alzheimer’s and dementia” they react to the news the same way they deal with death. But the Brenners tell us that we are the ones who have to assure them that the dementia journey is not about death, it is about life.
The Brenners share the stories of people living with dementia they have encountered during their years of experience in this field. Even more importantly, they describe in detail the techniques and tools they have developed to help readers stay connected to the people they love.
Tom and Karen also give numerous illuminating examples of how they have used their tools and techniques to reach specific individuals with dementia, even those others have considered unreachable.
This book is a true inspiration to dementia caregivers everywhere. And at their presentations now when they’re asked if they have a book, they say “Yes.” And a marvelous one it is.
When I wrote Come Back Early Today, I wrote it mainly as a love story. However, most people who have reviewed the book have focused on its value to caregivers. The following review by Ann McHugh of Overland Park, KS, illustrates that point.
This book is a must read for caregivers of dementia patients! It provides great insight into the difficult path that Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers must face, and it is intertwined with a beautiful love story. It made me laugh and it made me cry, all at the same time! I watched my mother descend into a similar journey with dementia, and I wish my family and I had read it while she was alive. It gave me a deeper understanding of my feelings, and the frustrations that my mother faced daily, as her mind simply deteriorated, seemingly before our eyes. It also put my mind at ease, in some
ways. I realized that, although these patients fret and worry a great deal, they are also capable of feeling joy. Marie Marley found a way to celebrate the joys of life, at any level of coherence, and capitalize on those moments. She found a way to improve the quality of her loved one’s life through those moments.
This book is informative and very supportive for caregivers. It put things in a new perspective for me. It still makes me sad to think of all the patients, caregivers and families who must cope with this cruel disease. It is difficult to watch the mind of our loved ones deteriorate, no matter how you look at it. But I feel more at peace after reading this book. I realize that many of the struggles we face as caregiver’s of patients with Alzheimer’s are OUR struggles. The patient truly lives moment to moment. I can’t recommend this book enough.
The following review by Craig Thomas is the funniest one I’ve ever received: “Once I started, there was absolutely no way to stop reading this book until its final page. The house is a mess and I don’t care. Brava.”
Go to Amazon.com and type my name in the search box to read all 34 reviews of Come Back Early Today.