Check Out our Curated List:
One of the best ways to learn about what a dementia diagnosis means for you is to read about the experiences of others. Some books on dementia are helpful because they assist you in understanding the disease, others can change the whole way you approach the illness and the person who has it.
Books can teach you to be a better caregiver, or they can help you begin to develop some realistic expectations of what the onset of a dementia causing condition will mean for you and your family going forward, allowing you to begin planning for the future.
Below we at Daily Dementia News have curated a list of recommended Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia related books.
1. Dementia Beyond Disease:
This book builds on G. Allen Power’s powerful book Dementia Without Drugs, which argued that we should try to understand dementia patients’ strange behaviors instead of medicating them into a docile state. That book helped to change the way many nursing homes treated dementia patients.
With Dementia Beyond Disease, Power argues that we should not think of dementia patients as people with impaired ability to act and think normally, but instead think of them as having a different worldview than our own.
From Forbes.com:
“Dementia Beyond Disease will make you question what you thought you knew about these diseases. And, given how poor most dementia care is, that’s a good thing.”
You can read the whole article here.
2. The 36-Hour Day
“An excellent guide with general information for family caregivers of persons with dementia…The text is person focused and describes the complexity and depth of the care required not only for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia but also for caregivers.”
3. Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s
“Revolutionizing the way people perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, this book offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers. Coste describes her personal struggle to care for her stricken husband and their family…”
4. Still Alice
“Recently made into a movie starring Julianne Moore, Still Alice tells the story of a 50-year old women’s early descent into Alzheimer’s Disease. Written by a first-time author who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Reminiscent of “A Beautiful Mind” and “Ordinary People,” this work packs an emotional punch.”