From Publishers Weekly
Helping Hands for Self-HelpersAfter nursing her husband through his slow decline from vascular dementia without finding any answers to her practical or emotional issues, Rosette Teitel wrote The Handholder's Handbook: A Guide for Caregivers of People with Alzheimer's or Other Dementias. Many of the 19 million Americans with an afflicted family member will appreciate her guidance, easily digestible with checklists for each chapter: "Be sure there are two railings along any steps the patient will need to use;" "Take fifteen minutes just for yourself every day." This warm, articulate former high-school teacher covers statistics, options and resources, from the patient's complaints (if they are imaginary, lend a sympathetic ear; if they are reality-based, advocate for him or her), to how to shower an adult, to home hospice care.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Most books about caring for someone with Alzheimer's are authored by health or social service experts; few are written by actual care providers with firsthand experience of looking after a memory-impaired person. Retired high school teacher Teitel cared for her husband, who suffered from vascular dementia, until his death. Her book offers the basics about various forms of dementia, including early symptoms and diagnosis, behavioral and emotional changes, and treatment options. Additional chapters discuss financial planning, nursing-home care, and end-of-life issues. Lists of sources and sample forms are included along with short bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Teitel emphasizes the need for caregivers to care for themselves, and she includes a chapter featuring stories from other care providers (presented in a question-and-answer format). Yet she rarely mentions her own caregiving stories the very thing that would have set her book apart from Nancy Mace's The 36-Hour Day (LJ 7/99) or Michael Castleman's There's Still a Person in There: The Complete Guide to Treating and Coping with Alzheimer's Disease (LJ 12/99), both of which are more comprehensive caregiver resources. Not an essential purchase. Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
