When I began as a caregiver for my parents, only a few books dealt with the issues I was facing. Many books have been published on the topic
since then.
I'm disappointed with some of these books. I lived with my parents for the 23 years that
I cared for them, and, except for occasional forays into the real world, my
caregiving was 24/7. The books that are
written by heath care professionals are undoubtedly correct from a medical
point of view. What they generally
cannot tell you is how to deal with the responsibility of DAILY
caregiving.
A physician typically sees the patient for a few minute and usually
doesn't understand what it's like to live with the patient.
One book that I do highly recommend, written by Dr. Dennis McCullough, is
My
Mother, Your Mother: Embracing "Slow Medicine," the Compassionate
Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones.
Dr.
McCullough appears on PBS in this one-minute video:
Dr. McCullough's book deals with aging in general, not just
dementia patients.
Perhaps the most
famous book dealing with the elderly and memory loss is The 36-Hour Day: A
Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing
Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life, by Nancy L Mace and Peter V.
Rabins. First published in 1981, it is
currently in its 4th edition.
