Alzheimer's Disease: Caregivers Speak Out
Alzheimer's is the most devastating disease for the family of anyone who has it.  Other diseases may be harder on the patient, but nothing can compare to the effect of Alzheimer's on the patient's family.  It has been called ‘the long good-bye’ among other things.  It can last from a few years to as many as 20 years or more.  Caregivers watch their loved ones deteriorate and regress back to infancy, eventually with no memory at all.  It is as if the person you loved is no longer there.  Actually, what you are caring for at the end is a physical body.”People who have cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease want to speak out on behalf of those loved ones.  They want others to know what is like, so that together we can begin to understand and help one another.  Caregivers have formed support groups throughout the world.  They get caring support from talking with one another about the perils of having a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.  They learn ways to cope.  They learn new ideas for care.  And, they all seem to have the desire to SPEAK OUT.  This book offers them an opportunity to tell all of us about their feelings as caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease.