The 36-Hour Day : A Family Guide to Caring for Persons With Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life

Rating:
Summary: A Quick Fix?
Review: When my mother was diagnosed with dementia, the doctor gave me this book. I initially resisted wanting to read it. "So I'm suppose to just read this and it will make me an expert? Yeah, right." I've read too many dry books like that by self proclaimed experts who treat you like you are in third grade and need to be patted on the head regularly. Pass.
This isn't that kind of book. The authors have been down this road before, of course. But they understand that we aren't dealing with a broken arm or a disease like diabetes. Dementia is progressive and not reversible. That engenders a lot of emotions, particularly for caregivers. Emotions that are new to people and are bound up with all kinds of pre-existing feelings about the ill person and the caregiver's feelings about themselves in many cases.
One of the keys to the success of this book is their acceptance that caregivers are going to have emotions, unrealistic ideas about the prognosis, misinformation about the nature of dementia and will underestimate the diseases effects on them and their family. It's okay to feel guilty, it's okay to feel conflicted, it's okay that you eventually may be unable to care for this person you love, whose personality is changing slowly before your eyes.
But once the authors are past the emotions, they also have a huge database of information built on the experiences of others. Time after time, you read in this book "this may happen, but it doesn't happen to everyone." That wide panorama of experience will help caregivers deal with virtually every circumstance that might come up.
You need to read this book, not to become a cocktail party expert, but so you will understand not only what's happening to your loved one, but also to yourself. When do you need to intervene? (Taking away the car keys, for example, is a huge step, both practical and symbolic.) What can you do to deal with erratic behavior? How do you help them deal with their finances?
It is never easy to deal with dementia. It will change your outlook on life, as well as how you feel about your parent or spouse who has dementia. I strongly recommend this book, not only for caregivers but also for those who are only starting to think "Boy, Mom sure has some weird ideas lately."


Rating:
Summary: Provides direction and help for caretakers and loved ones
Review: A truly remarkable book. It is well written, and very easy to read and follow, providing a background in this disease and what can/will happen to those afflicted. Providing extremely helpful insights and strategies for those of us who are caregivers, spouses, sons, daughters, and other family and friends. Personally, this book helped me to understand what was happening to my mother, helped me to be more understanding and less frustrated and annoyed with her. This book provides a great deal of insight and allows the reader to get a "feel" for the current situation and possible future situations. I have recommended this book to my personal physician to pass along to her other patients who may be in the same position as I am.

Rating:
Summary: Provides direction and help for caretakers and loved ones
Review: A truly remarkable book. It is well written, and very easy to read and follow, providing a background in this disease and what can/will happen to those afflicted. Providing extremely helpful insights and strategies for those of us who are caregivers, spouses, sons, daughters, and other family and friends. Personally, this book helped me to understand what was happening to my mother, helped me to be more understanding and less frustrated and annoyed with her. This book provides a great deal of insight and allows the reader to get a "feel" for the current situation and possible future situations. I have recommended this book to my personal physician to pass along to her other patients who may be in the same position as I am.

Rating:
Summary: Once a Parent-Twice a Child!The Greatest Book for Caregivers
Review: Anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease, other diseases of dementia, or severe memory loss disorders, know just how difficult and consuming it is to care for someone you love. Whether you're a family member, caring for a loved one, or any of a number of healthcare providers, "The 36-Hour Day" is an absolute must-read for all. Put simply, it is a true necessity for anyone involved in the care giving process of dementia-type disorders.

My 73 year old Father was diagnosed, about 8 years ago, with a "memory problem", by his family practitioner in New York. It was far more than simple memory loss, not unusual for someone his age, and the past 4 years of my life have been dedicated to his total care. As much as I love my Father, the demands of caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease has literally taken over my entire life and in every imaginable way. It is exhausting, depressing, frustrating, demanding and progressively gets worse. And, yes, there have been many special moments that I will treasure forever. I saw a side of my Dad, at times, that was much more loving and compassionate than I ever knew him to be. We played music, talked about old times, watched old movies and tried to harness ourselves into anything and everything that would build his confidence.

The bottom line, however, is that Alzheimer's is a disease that affects the entire family unit. And it's not uncommon for a caregiver to place his/her needs on the back burner, often to a point where they neglect themselves so badly that they become too ill to provide care for their loved on. Families have been torn apart, marriages have ended and friendships neglected that they dissolved. I've also seen people come together in ways that were miraculous. It is so necessary to take care of the caregivers, to offer them respite and to educate family members so they will have the tools to make it through the toughest of times. And, finally, one book does it all.

I believe that reading "The 36-Hour Day" is the first step in understanding Alzheimer's Disease, along with other dementia-type illnesses, and one of the most important and necessary steps a caregiver can take to prepare themselves for the very long road ahead. My friends who are reading this review, this is a very long journey that will require so much of your time, energy, compassion, passion and love. The best advice I can give you is to provide a pathway that will allow you to better understand what lies before you. There is no need to go this road alone. Support is necessary and so is reading literature and books that help you in order that you may help someone else. "The 36-Hour Day" is outstanding and comprehensive in every respect. If I were a wealthy person, I'd supply a copy to anyone who needed one.

Even though I am with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide all of his care, just this morning he asked me who I was. I reassured him, as I always do, and told him that I was his child, that my name is Peter and that he need not ever worry or get frustrated over trying to remember me or anyone else. Although it kills me inside, to hear this day after day and to see him continually get worse, my job is to remain strong and not take anything personal. None of this is his fault and nowhere, other than in this book, will you ever find the sort of comprehensive guide to caring for someone like my Dad. These memory disorders are far more devastating than the public and the healthcare world can comprehend.

Alzheimer's Disease is not merely forgetting where the car keys were placed or forgetting the name of a neighbor that you might see twice a year. Alzheimer's dementia is about losing everything it is that ever made you who you are. It is about having your rights to drive, and other similar freedoms, taken away. It is about losing your total privacy and needing the assistance of a caregiver to help with cooking or paying bills. Safety becomes the main concern of those who love and care for someone with dementia. It is more than just forgetting ingredients to recipes or the names of famous baseball players. Eventually, it will become more difficult and painful for the caregivers than the suffering patient. And my deep concern is for the caregivers who are still living and have a good life ahead. If our loved ones could speak, they would thank us for everything we have done and ask that we move forward with our lives.

I hope this has helped, even just a little bit. Bless all of you for taking the time to read this. You have my contact information below and feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this book or even if you just need someone to chat with. The book will teach you the importance of reaching out to others. My hand is waiting to grasp onto yours.

My Sincere Warmth and Regards


Peter V. Cannice
of Scottsdale, Arizona
Email: [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Not the best approach
Review: At best, this book is a guide to coping with AD for patients and loved ones who have resigned themselves to allowing the disease to take its course. It contends there is no link between nutrition and AD and makes no reference whatsoever to the role of silver (52% mercury) dental fillings in AD. Those favoring a more spirited approach may want to read Beating Alzheimer's by Tom Warren.

Rating:
Summary: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Caregiving
Review: Highly recommended, an excellent resource, a must-have when beginning the caregiving journey with a loved one with dementia. This book has been out for many years, is updated often, and continues to be one of the very best. It was one of the books that helped me when I had to care for my parents, both with dementia, and inspired me to write my own book, Elder Rage.

Rating:
Summary: Known in the caregiving underworld as "THE Caregiver Bible"
Review: I am currently on my 2nd paperback copy, and it's very well thumbed and soon to be replaced. As a full time caregiver facing the horror of Alzheimer's Disease along with all the hard work and emotional trauma, I find myself returning again and again to this book. Real life answers for the unreal life of coping with dementia in someone you love.

Rating:
Summary: This was my family's life preserver.
Review: I bought this book a year ago when it was obvious where my beloved mother was heading. We lost her last week. On hundreds of occasions, my sisters and I turned to this book for guidance on every level possible. At the end, it gave us guidance on what was most humane for her treatment and helped us begin the grieving process. Wish I had read it when mom was first diagnosed in the early stages. If you know anyone with AD, please read this book and keep it around as you journey through the treacherous waters this disease will take you through.

Rating:
Summary: Dealing family member with Alzheimers
Review: I found this book to be a life saver. I thought that I was losing my mind, until I read this book and now I know there is help out there. I have read this book a few times and each time it helps me understand a little more about Alzheimers patient. It is like a bible for people who are dealing with a family member with Alzherimers.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible of Alzheimer's care books
Review: I have been screening these books for my caregiver father, and have found this to be the most useful, detailed and comprehensive. This book is a must! (Try "Your Name is Hughes Hannibal Shanks", by Lela Knox Shanks, along with this one, for a more personal insight, and I don't think you'll need any other books on the subject.)