My mom reached out from her wheel chair and touched the peach fuzz hair of the toddler playing with the brake handle of her wheel chair.  Little Alex looked up at Great Grandma and grinned.  She smiled, too, and I marveled at this communication that seemed to pass between the two.
As Alex began to form words and Mothers’ became more mumbled utterances than clear syllables, they made sounds together. 
“Gramma talk to me,” Alex would say.
“What did she say?” I’d ask.
“Dunno,” he replied.  “Gramma talk to me.”
There apparently was a type of communication between the older lady with Alzheimer’s and the little boy.  …read more

Remember Joseph Voight, the 11 year old who had written a book about his grandmother and Alzheimer’s disease. Well, it looks like good things are happening for him. Since the last post I wrote about hime, he has been interviewed by local TV networks, CNN, and various newspapers.
He has also obtained a book contract with DNA Press LLC, a non-fiction publishing company based in Eagleville, PA.
DNA Press books are distributed through many channels, including Amazon.com, so keep a look out for Joseph’s book in the near future.
Meanwhile, have a look at this video interview with him.

Written by former psychologist Richard Taylor, Alzheimer’s From the Inside Out is a collection of 80 essays documenting life with Alzheimer’s disease.
I haven’t had the opportunity to read this book yet, but according to reviews, it’s a book that anyone dealing with Alzheimer’s – either professionally or personally – should read.
Reviews:
Richard Taylor’s First-Hand Account of What It’s Like To Have Alzheimer’s
The Reluctant Expert
Some Thoughts From A Person With Dementia

“Mary, why don’t you write something about Alzheimer’s for children?” a friend asked.  “There’s so little to help children understand why Grandma is the way she is.” 
Our mothers had Alzheimer’s and resided in the same nursing home.  My friend’s children and grandchildren had difficulty seeing Grandma in this condition.
I haven’t written any books on the topic, although I’ve done many articles and a chapter in my book. (See previous post.)  However, I keep on the lookout for books children can read or have read to them that will help them when their grandparents or great grandparents experience Alzheimer’s or a similar condition.
Two are …read more

Some people try to shield children from the fact that a family member has Alzheimer’s, while others have grandparents living in their home.  I discovered that my grandchildren accepted my mother’s condition and have fond memories of visiting her in a nursing home. 
They were born after she had developed this condition.  So, admittedly, they don’t recall her any other way.  However, they realized she looked at her world differently than we did.  Yet this didn’t cause them to turn from her.
We enjoyed tea parties with her, read stories to her, drew pictures for her, and took her for strolls around …read more