American Geriatrics Society (AGS) - Alzheimers and Dementia For Dummies

Alzheimers & Dementia For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016930756

ISBN 978-1-119-18773-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-18777-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-18776-9 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Pick up a newspaper or turn on the television or radio, and it wont be long before you come across a reference to Alzheimers disease (AD) or dementia. Either someone is touting a breakthrough in research, or someone famous has been diagnosed with it, or an expert has decided that some food or other, which people have previously enjoyed without a second thought, is now believed to double our risk of developing the condition.

But its media popularity isnt really that much of a shock, because dementia is on the rise. In fact, scientists estimate that every four seconds someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with dementia, so the number of cases is rising pretty fast.

Put simply, that increase means that more and more families are dealing with dementia or AD, trying to provide care for a loved one while maintaining some semblance of balance in their own lives. If you have a family member whos been diagnosed with AD or dementia, chances are youve got a lot of questions. Alzheimers and Dementia For Dummies tries to help you find the answers that are right for your particular situation.

The media paints a big, frightening picture of how the increasing number of Americans with dementia will affect the economy, the healthcare industry, lost productivity, and a dozen other markers. However, little of that information is likely to hold much meaning for you as the family member that now must care for a loved one with a memory disorder. You want to know how Alzheimers or some other form of dementia is going to affect your loved one as time goes on. As a caregiver, you want to know how to provide the best care for the person with dementia while you keep all the other balls in the air (work, spouse, the rest of the family, and other obligations).

Dementia and AD are progressive conditions that affect sufferers more as time goes on. At present no cures are available. Although that is tough to swallow, we want to help you realize that you can do many things to improve the quality of life both for your loved one with a memory disorder and yourself, particularly if youre the primary caregiver.

Alzheimers and Dementia For Dummies takes a realistic look at dementia and AD and offers pertinent, practical advice for dealing with the myriad of concerns and responsibilities that a primary caregiver must assume when managing a patient with a memory disorder. We look at the treatments available, both from mainstream medicine and complementary therapies, and review the evidence of what works and what doesnt. Other sections give tips to caregivers about how to handle difficult symptoms that may occur as the condition progresses. We emphasize the importance of taking care of yourself as the caregiver as you care for your loved one. We provide advice on the financial and legal issues that need to be considered. And we walk you through the details of how to choose the right residential care facility for your loved one should the need arise. Plus much more.

The main information about each topic is contained in the main text of each chapter, but youll also notice shaded boxes of text in each chapter, called sidebars. These boxes offer interesting asides, designed to complement the rest of the chapter, rather than essential information. So if a sidebar doesnt interest you, just skip it; youll still be able to understand everything else without it.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If youre reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply type in the address exactly as its noted in the text, pretending that the line break doesnt exist. If youre reading this as an e-book, youve got it easy: just click or tap the web address to be taken directly to the page.

As we wrote this book, we kept in mind everyone who has dementia or AD, or who may one day be affected by them. Its for those who are just generally worried about dementia and AD and want to find out more about the conditions and how they develop. If youre currently experiencing symptoms that you think may mean you have a memory disorder and want to know what to do next, youll find valuable information here. Weve also written this book for people whove already been given the diagnosis and need advice about how to get the best care available. People who are looking after people with dementia or AD can also use this book as a resource for being the best caregivers they can be.