Virginia Bell - TM Approach to Alzheimer’s Care: A Guide for Care Partners A Dignified Life: The Best Friends

Praise for A Dignified Life ...

A Dignified Life is a compassionate, well-written and extremely valuable resource. Using the Best Friends approach outlined in the book, caregivers are provided with a wide range of practical tools and strategies for how to deal with the many challenges of coping with this difficult disease. I highly recommend A Dignified Life both for professionals and family caregivers.

Ken Dychtwald, PhD

CEO and founder of Age Wave

Alzheimers disease causes anguish to millions of caregivers and family members. Few diseases are feared more, with its loss of memory, identity and ability to recognize loved ones. It is these loved ones who must face enormous responsibilities that they are seldom prepared to handle alone. A Dignified Life is supportive and practical, offering a down-to-earth, comprehensive approach for providing care for people with Alzheimers.

Robert N. Butler, MD

founding director of the National Institute on Aging and Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Why Survive? Being Old in America

The Best Friends approach was a miracle for our family. My mother thrived on this friendship approach at her day center, and this affirming philosophy helped me through some difficult times. I can definitely recommend this book to anyone on the journey of dementia. Ive become a big advocate for Best Friends.

Jan Cerel

Caregiver (Lexington, KY)

As a gerontologist, I hear from families every day about the challenges of Alzheimers care. Virginia and Davids Best Friends approach is full of helpful advice, success stories, tips, and techniques for turning failure into success. Its the best book on Alzheimers care!

Amy S. DAprix, MSW, PhD, CSA

founder of Essential Conversations, Inc., and author of From Surviving to ThrivingTransforming Your Caregiving Journey

This life affirming and positive philosophy brings dignity to our residents with dementia, our staff, and our families at Prestige Care. A wonderful book full of wisdom and success stories.

Hollie Fowler

Senior Director Product and Brand Development, Prestige Care

Helping patients and families cope with Alzheimers disease is one of the major challenges for our society. Bell and Troxel have provided an outstanding guide for anyone involved in the care of individuals with Alzheimers disease. The Best Friends method is an innovative, sensitive, and unique approach that can greatly improve the quality of life for patients with the most devastating disease known to humankind.

William R. Markesbery, MD

past director, Alzheimers Disease Research Center and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky

We know that people with dementia and their caregivers have some of the same essential needs regardless of country, culture, or traditions, and we know that using a persons life story is the key to meeting those needs. The Best Friends approach to dementia care beautifully articulates this universal truth and supports Home Insteads to us its personal philosophy. It is highly recommended!

Jeff Huber

president and chief operating officer, Home Instead Senior Care

Truly a must read for all those who care for people with dementia. A Dignified Life is packed with effective and practical advice and full of humanity. It shows that there is much that can be done to help make the lives of both caregivers and people with dementia better and more fulfilling. I give it a five-star rating.

David Snowdon, PhD

author of Aging with Grace

As a neurologist, I dream about the day that we will find a cure for Alzheimers disease. Until that time, the Best Friends approach is here to give families practical tools for bringing out the best in persons with Alzheimers disease. This is a well-written, insightful book that gives caregivers a life-affirming, practical framework for approaching this difficult disease. I recommend it to my patients and their families.

Donna Masterman, MD

medical director, Genentech, Inc.

Caregivers can easily become overwhelmed by the daily challenges facing them. The Best Friends approach will give you simple, easy-to-learn tools that can make the most daunting problems seem easier to cope with. I highly recommend this book.

Elaine St. James

author of the international book series Simplify Your Life

T. S. Eliot once described friendship as the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words. Virginia Bell and David Troxel succeed in describing the many aspects of friendship necessary for helping a loved one to journey safely through Alzheimers disease when ordinary thoughts and words often fail. Families will find this to be a useful guide.

Daniel Kuhn, MSW

author of Alzheimers Early Stages and The Art of Dementia Care

Virginia Bell and David Troxel are leaders in the field of aging. Their words will offer caregivers new ideas and new hope as they face the challenge of Alzheimers disease and dementia.

Gloria H. Cavanaugh

former president and CEO, American Society on Aging

For every friend, relative, or caregiver to a person with Alzheimers, A Dignified Life offers practical advice, compassion, and optimism in understanding and dealing with the challenges they face each day and on how to bring out the best in the person with the disease, so that a life that seems at times hopeless can be a life of love and dignity.

Jack Canfield

author of Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul

The Best Friends book is my go to resource for helping families and professionals caring for persons with dementia. Virginia Bell and David Troxel have created a life affirming and easy to use philosophy of care that brings out the best in the person with dementia. The Best Friends approach can turn around behaviors that are challenging, support good communication, and help care partners create a successful day.

Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, chief program officer,

The Alzheimers Association, Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter

Health Communications, Inc.

Deerfield Beach, Florida

www.hcibooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bell, Virginia.

A dignified life, revised and expanded : the best friends approach to Alzheimers care : a guide for care partners / Virginia Bell and David Troxel.Rev. and expanded.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7573-1665-4 (pbk.)

ISBN 0-7573-1665-4 (tradepaper)

ISBN 978-0-7573-1666-1 (e-book)

1. Alzheimers diseasePatientsLong-term care. I. Troxel, David. II. Title.

RC523.B434 2012

616.831dc23

2012033306

2012 Health Professions Press, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimers Care, Revised and Expanded is a trade original, based on the authors earlier work, The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimers Care (1997, 2003, 2012 in press by Health Professions Press, Inc.).

This Health Communications, Inc., edition is published by arrangement with Health Professions Press, Inc., Post Office Box 10624, Baltimore, Maryland, 21285-0624, USA. Information on other books on The Best Friends approach may be found at www.healthpropress.com/bestfriends.