When we can learn from Alzheimer’s patients/victims what it’s like to live with the disease…what they encounter, what frustrates them, what annoys them, what pleases them, how we can best interact with them…we’ll know much better how to care for them. 
I so often tried to discover what it was like inside Mother’s mind and thus understand what she was facing…where she was (what era) that day, who she thought I was, what she liked and disliked.  If we could have talked about her disease while she was able to communicate verbally, it would have helped us both.  But I didn’t …read more

         Liz mentioned Richard Taylor’s book, Alzheimer’s From the Inside Out, in a previous post.  It’s so helpful for family members and caregivers, as well as researchers to know what Alzheimer’s patients are feeling and thinking.
I discovered Diana Friel McGowin’s book, Living in the Labyrinth, when I was caring for Mother and Auntie.  Diana called this “a personal journey through the maze of Alzheimer’s” and it helped give me  a better idea what my family members were experiencing.  Hopefully I came to understand them better because Diana McGowin spoke out about Alzheimer’s in an era when not many people were doing …read more

 Although we think of people in their 70s and 80s as having Alzheimer’s, it is found in some who are much younger.  Doctors and researchers are realizing this disease can affect people as early as their 30s. 
Early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s also can have a disastrous effect on a family’s income because often that person is one of the wage earners.  They also might have dependent children at home. 
Diana Friel McGowin tells about her struggles with early onset Alzheimer’s in her book, Living in the Labyrinth, a Personal Journey through the Maze of Alzheimer’s.  I found this book particularly helpful when caring for my …read more