Dr. Ruth's Guide for the Alzheimer's Caregiver: How to Care for Your Loved One Without Getting Overwhelmed... and Without Doing It All Yourself
Caregivers will find the answers to even the most awkward questions in this down-to-earth guide by sexpert Westheimer. As Dr. Ruth writes in the introduction to her thirty-fifth book, she is neither a medical doctor nor an Alzheimer’s expert. But she does hold a doctorate in education, and she puts that knowledge to good use here by not sugarcoating a disease that robs people of their personalities. An estimated 15 million Americans take care of nearly 6 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and all can benefit from Dr. Ruth’s advice to caregivers to assess their situations practically, like a general or a CEO, rather than letting their emotions take over. Perhaps because she is an 84-year-old Holocaust survivor who lost her entire family, Dr. Ruth is an empathetic guide. With the help of Lehu, her longtime coauthor, she tackles any and all topics, including sex, explaining that because Alzheimer’s patients lose their inhibitions, they may masturbate in public, and reminding caregivers that sex feels good, even to someone who has Alzheimer’s. An excellent, commonsense guide to a heartbreaking disease. --Karen Springen