Alzheimers Resources

Alzheimer’s specific resources

Note that the books listed below can be purchased directly from the publisher and/or in many cases, the authors’ websites. Where it says “click here,” you will be brought to the purchase page at Amazon.com.

One of the pure joys of working in a field like aging is becoming connected to a network of amazing people doing phenomenal work. Following is a brief list of resources and people (many of them friends) I admire and have learned from and who share my goals related to dementia care. Many more resources are listed in my books.

The Alzheimer’s Store (www.alzstore.com) is an outgrowth of architect Mark Warner’s comprehensive book, The Complete Guide to Alzheimer's Proofing Your Home. Through the store, he and his dedicated wife Ellen offer a wide variety of assistive devices, print resources and activity products. Mark has also written another book on safeguarding people with dementia who have a tendency to walk away from home, he produces the free Alzheimer's Daily News (www.alznews.org) and he speaks and consults through his company Ageless Design, (www.agelessdesign.com).

Virginia Bell and David Troxel are the wonderful authors of a growing and enduring series of books which began with The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care in 1996. They are also delightful speakers and consultants. Check out their website at www.bestfriendsapproach.com or contact David directly at bestfriendsdavid@aol.com.

To order The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer’s Care, click here.
To order The Best Friends Staff: Building a Culture of Care in Alzheimer’s Programs, click here.
To order The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer’s Activities, Vol. 1, click here.
To order The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer’s Activities, Vol. 2, click here.

Elizabeth C. (Betsy) Brawley is the author of two terrific books on environmental design for older adults: Designing for Alzheimer's Disease: Strategies for Creating Better Care Environments and Design Innovations for Aging and Alzheimer's. She is also an extremely knowledgeable consultant. You can reach her at Design Concepts Unlimited (Sausalito, CA) by calling 415-332-8382 or emailing her at betsybrawley@att.net.

To order Design Innovations for Aging and Alzheimer’s, click here.
To order Designing for Alzheimer’s Disease, Strategies for Creating Better Care Environments, click here.

Dan Kuhn, currently the education director for the Greater Illinois chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, is the author of Alzheimer’s Early Stages: First Steps for Family, Friends and Caregivers, a terrific resource written with compassion and insight. Dan.Kuhn@alz.org.
To order, click here.

Dorothy Seman has always been my moral compass in terms of how to treat people with dementia with dignity and the highest respect for both who they once were and still are. She is a co-author of Rethinking Alzheimer’s Care. Never miss an opportunity to read her work or hear her speak. Dorothy.Seman@med.va.gov.
To order, click here.

Carol Sifton’s latest book is Navigating the Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass for Care-Giving. Like her previous book, it is both thorough (652 pages) and compassionate, filled with stories of real experiences with real people, and well-considered advice. Carol is also available for training and consulting. Call her at 902-634-3904 or email her at csifton@ns.sympatico.ca.

To order Navigating the Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass for Care-Giving, click here.

Joyce Simard is the author of The End-of-Life Namaste Care Program for People with Dementia. She chose the word “Namaste” because it means,
“I honor the spirit within you,” which clearly suggests the compassion with which she approaches the dying process. However, Joyce is primarily a high-energy person with a laugh that tends to burst out easily. Therefore, her second book, The Magic Tape Recorder, was written as “Grandma Joyce” for children to explain how they can be helpful to people with dementia and other disabilities. With its delightful, full-color illustrations, it is probably a closer reflection of her personality. You can reach her at www.grandmajoyce.com or www.joycesimard.com.

To order The End-of-Life Namaste Care Program, click here.
To order The Magic Tape Recorder, click here.

Lisa Snyder, LCSW, in 1999, wrote the first version of Speaking Our Minds, which has since been updated. Lisa is a clinical social worker at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. She wrote this book, in which she intersperses the eloquent and heartfelt tape-recorded comments of seven individuals with Alzheimer’s disease with her own clarifying comments, because “We must begin to listen early in the course of Alzheimer’s in the hope that doing so will enhance our understanding as the disease progresses.” That book has since been updated, and she has added a second. I have long admired Lisa as a woman of enormous skill and sensitivity in relation to people with dementia.

To order, Speaking Our Minds, What It’s Like to Have Alzheimer’s (Revised Edition), click here.
To order, Living Your Best with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s: An Essential Guide, click here.

Karen Stobbe has long experience in the theatre and that has made her one of the most engaging and creative (read “fun”) Alzheimer’s trainers I know. Plus, she freely shares her ideas at www.in-themoment.com. She is also the author of the short book, Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh, in which she provides insights and advice gleaned from her father’s journey through Alzheimer’s disease. Contact her at karenstobbe@charter.net and enjoy.

Jitka Zgola is a woman of far-ranging talents (occupational therapist, inn-keeper, potter, to name just three) who has written several books, of which the most enduringly popular is Care That Works: A Relationship Approach to Persons with Dementia. It combines innovative, yet practical ideas with Jitka's whimsical art work. She can be reached at giverny@ns.sympatico.ca or by calling 902-928-2399. And check out her Nova Scotia Bed & Breakfast, pottery and other artwork at http://www.singingpebbles.ca.

To order Care That Works, , click here.

Books by and about people with Alzheimer’s disease

Robert Davis wrote My Journey into Alzheimer’s Disease more than 20 years ago, but his chapter 7 “The Abnormal Changes So Far,” written seven months after his diagnosis, was one of the first written by someone with Alzheimer’s disease and remains one of the best. The rest of the book is religiously focused and reflects Davis’s previous occupation as a protestant minister. To order, click here.

Cary Smith Henderson was a history professor at James Madison University who was diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease in 1985 at the age of 55. The text in his 1998 book, Partial View, An Alzheimer’s Journal, represents transcriptions of tape recordings he made as an oral journal between the fall of 1991 and the summer of 1992. This is the easiest to read and most highly recommended of the three books listed here. To order, click here.

Larry Rose’s book Show Me the Way to Go Home, was published in 1996. He was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease when he was 54. He wrote an endearing book and the forward by his son and afterward by his “soul-mate” make clear what an extraordinary man he was. To order, click here.

I don’t recommend many books by caregivers because so many write for catharsis from a point of raw pain after a person’s death, which is not helpful to the newer caregiver still in the midst of the journey. An exception is the following:

Through the Wilderness of Alzheimer’s was written by Robert and Anne Simpson in 1999. The sub-title is “A Guide in Two Voices.” While Ann Simpson is the primary author of this book, journal entries and quotes from Robert Simpson are an integral part of the whole. Robert was sometimes frustrated by his illness and Ann admits in the book to the difficulties of being a caregiver spouse, but overall this is an extremely well-written and uplifting book. To order, click here.

Alzheimer’s Disease Support Services

The Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University (Chicago), http://www.brain.northwestern.edu/
Duke Family Support Program at http://www.geri.duke.edu/service/dfsp/about.htm
Shirley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at http://adrc.ucsd.edu/index.html (Check out their Perspectives newsletter for and by people with dementia)

On the lighter side

Another person I admire for his generosity of spirit, (including personal kindnesses to me), sense of humor and leadership qualities is speaker and writer Allen Klein (http://www.allenklein.com/). I encourage you to check out his website because he is the author of many books, the most famous of which is
The Healing Power of Humor. Nevertheless, the one which has resonated most with me and which I frequently quote is The Courage to Laugh.

To order The Courage to Laugh, click here.
To order The Healing Power of Humor, click here.

He is also the author of a handful of uplifting quote books. Here is a sampling:

Lift Your Spirits Quote Book. To order click here.
Quotations to Cheer You Up. To order click here.
Up Words, for Down Days. To order click here.

Activity Director Resources

Activity Connection
Unlock the Memories at http://www.unlockthememories.com

Aging

Ageing by Caring (Australia) Sharon Wall at Sharon@ageingbycaring.com.au
Applied Aged Care Solutions (Australia) Richard Rosewarne at http://www.aacs.com.au/
Health Professions Press
Terra Nova Films at http://www.terranova.org/

Wiser Now, Inc. Resources

Alzheimer’s specific resources

Books by and about people with Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s Disease Support Services

On the lighter side

Activity Director Resources

Aging

Brain Aerobics

Brain Games

Brain Research

Health & Wellness

Humor & Fun