Inside Look
Introduction
Fond memories of Bill and me (wearing a paper dress) on our wedding day, 1979. And fifteen years prior to Bill’s symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease surfacing.
This is a personal love story of a journey from falling in love, marriage, and happiness, to watching your loved one disappear in stages over time. I deal with the progress of Alzheimer’s disease from the vague beginning of symptoms that one does not know clearly how to label to the end of life.
This book follows the many phases of the disease from when you and your loved one are struggling together, to finding out what is wrong and what can be done, to the gradual shift to the one who must face the decisions for caring.
Each couple arrives at this moment with different histories of decision-making, between the two and within the family. As symptoms differ from person to person and may be complicated due to other ongoing medical problems, this is the most difficult and trying phase of early detection of the disease.
Finding a competent source of medical advice is essential. Many medical centers do not have a group that deals only with the problems of aging and that have access to staff that can perform the various medical and psychological testing that is necessary. Only once this testing is completed can the other problems be dealt with, problems that relate to the care and advice that are necessary to maintain one’s dignity and meet one’s financial and legal needs.
I have tried to outline the path of the disease that I experienced, which seems to be more or less what generally occurs, as well as offer information that I believe will help others confronted by the dilemma of how to cope with Alzheimer’s disease. When I confronted the situation, I felt a lack of adequate advice on what the problem was and engaged in a search for answers. I could not find one resource that outlined what I was experiencing, what I might be facing as the disease progressed, and where I could find help. It took weeks of reading and talking with various kinds of doctors to finally reach a pragmatic path to a probable diagnosis. I say “probable diagnosis,” because Alzheimer’s disease can be confirmed only after death, with an autopsy.
Where to start? When You Suspect Something’s Wrong: What You Should Do before Getting a Diagnosis. Read excerpt…
Table of Contents
1: Why this book?
2: A Love Story
How We Met
3: Transitions
From Happiness and Good Health to Harassment and Hard Decisions
4: Understanding the Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
The Process of Retrogenesis
5: Legal and Financial Matters
The Importance of Being Well-Informed and Well Organized
6: Arranging for Proper Care
An Introduction from a Caregiver’s Perspective—What It Feels Like When You Have a Primary Caregiver’s Role and Responsibility
7: Taking Care of the Caregiver
Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First
8: Death
Rediscovering and Recovering Your Self and Picking Up the Pieces of Your Own Life
Glossary of Alzheimer’s Disease Terms
Acknowledgments
About the Author
