Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer's Disease
When a family member shows signs of a failing memory, most people look for basic, practical information to help them understand their relative's condition, find appropriate care, and make the best life possible for everyone concerned. This latest in the "Mayo Clinic Health Information" series is an excellent "getting started" introduction. Prepared by a variety of Mayo Clinic experts, it covers the basics of brain function; the causes, signs, and symptoms of late-life memory loss; how it is diagnosed; the latest in available treatments; and current research on promising new remedies, as well as details about the effects of memory disorders on the ill person, families, and caregivers. Most valuable is the "Quick Guide for Caregivers," offering an overview of medical complications, home safety, managing medications, and problem behaviors caused by failing memory, among other essential topics. Rounding out the text are a glossary, resource list, and narrative of one caregiver's experience (none of which was seen in the review galley). Experienced caregivers and others requiring in-depth information should look to Nancy Mace and Peter Rabins's The 36-Hour Day and Michael Castleman and others' There's Still a Person in There. Those unfamiliar with memory disorders are well served by this concise guide.Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Lib., ClevelandCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.