Booklist – Useful Reading (Directions 2006)

36 Hour Day: Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses and Memory Loss in Later Life (Johns Hopkins Health Book S.) Paul R. McHugh (Foreword), Nancy L. Mace, Peter V. Rabins

ISBN: 0801861497 £10.50* 
A guide for families who are giving care to people with Alzheimer’s or other dementing illnesses. For this third edition, the authors have retained the structure, scope and purpose of the original book, while updating chapters to reflect medical research and delivery of care. Topics that have been added or extensively revised include: updated terminology and statistics; material on the evaluation of persons with dementia; changes in laws on driving; a section on hospice care; information on assisted living facilities and financing care; information on other types of dementia; findings on eating and nutrition; and medical research in areas such as drugs, genetics and diagnostic tests. The appendices list bibliographic references, websites, and addresses of associations and state offices.

Dementia: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias at Your Fingertips (At Your Fingertips S.)
Harry Cayton, Nori Graham, James Warner ISBN: 1859590756
£14.99*

Dementia: Alzheimer’s and other Dementias at your fingertips is a practical guide giving comprehensive, medically accurate information on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in an easy to understand format. This new fully revised and updated edition outlines the different care options that are available and suggests a variety of strategies for coping. It tells people where to go for help and guidance on legal, financial and other matters and gives advice on how to prepare for the future and make difficult decisions.

Living with Alzheimer’s – Bill’s Story
Bill Dodson

£Free –
contact Mental Health Development Project, Unit 11 Williams Court, Trade Street, Cardiff CF10 5DQ Telephone: 029 2022 2000
One mans personal story of caring for his wife with Alzheimer’s. “Betty looked after me for long enough. She was a wonderful wife and mother, I am very proud to be looking after her…I only did what I thought she would have wanted, as I never stopped loving her”.

Staying Sane: When You Care for Someone with Chronic Illness – Guide for Caregivers
Mel Pohl, Deniston J. Kay ISBN: 1558742514
£8.58**

Provides ideas to help caregivers cope with the ups and downs of long-term illness, enabling them to care for others without losing themselves in the process.

Care to Communicate: Helping the Older Person with Dementia
Jennie Powell, Eve Morris (Illustrator) ISBN: 1874790485
£16.95**

Shows ways of improving communication between the carer and the person they care for. Really useful book for carers of people with dementia or therapists wanting to give carers advice and ideas.

Living in the Labyrinth: A Personal Journey Through the Maze of Alzheimer’s
Diana Friel McGowin ISBN: 0385313187
£6.60**

A personal journey through the maze of Alzheimer’s.

Living Longer Depression Free: A Family Guide to Recognizing, Treating and Preventing Depression in Later Life
Mark D. Miller, Charles F. Reynolds, Charles F. Reynolds III ISBN: 0801869420
£10.31*

Depression affects people of all ages, but is both more common and more serious for those over 60. As many as half of all nursing home residents have depression, as do up to 40 percent of those who visit primary-care clinics. Late-life depression is a disease with unique risk factors. Health problems, physical limitations, the loss of loved ones, and fears about financial issues all contribute to an increased incidence of depression, which, despite its prevalence, is not a normal part of the ageing process. It can intensify existing medical conditions such as chronic pain and is far more likely to lead to suicide than does depression in younger people. There is good news, however: 80 percent of older people who receive treatment for depression make a complete recovery and enjoy fulfilling lives. In this guide, Mark D. Miller and Charles F. Reynolds III draw on their considerable experience in geriatric psychiatry to help elderly persons, their families, and their physicians accurately diagnose and treat late-life depression. They begin with a discussion of the different types of depression, their causes and symptoms. The authors then describe how doctors evaluate depression; present the treatment options available to patients today, including psychotherapy, medication and alternative treatments; and offer strategies for achieving long-term mental health. Each chapter opens with a list of frequently-asked questions and uses case studies to personalize the information provided, and the book closes with a list of resources for further information, including hot-lines and web sites.

To Be Old and Sad
Nathan Billig ISBN: 0669122793
£13.72**

Identifies the symptoms of depression, describes treatments, looks at possible causes, and tells how to help elderly people who may be depressed.

Is the Cooker Turned Off?: Caring for an Older Person with Failing Memory
Josephine Woolf, Michael Woolf ISBN: 095441280X
£9.99*

This book is essential reading for any carer of someone with failing memory. We have, in this book, the shared experience of a carer’s professional knowledge of physiological, psychological and practical expertise in a role that may take many of us by surprise but can be a challenge that could enhance the lives of both the carer and, the person they are caring for.

Dancing with Dementia: My Story of Living Positively with Dementia
Christine Bryden ISBN: 184310332X
£12.95*

Christine Bryden was a top civil servant and single mother of three children when she was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 46. Since then she has gone on to challenge almost every stereotype of people with dementia by campaigning for self-advocacy, writing articles and speaking at national conferences. This book is a vivid account of the author’s experiences of living with dementia, exploring the effects of memory problems, loss of independence, difficulties in communication and the exhaustion of coping with simple tasks. She describes how, with the support of her husband Paul, she continues to lead an active life nevertheless, and explains how professionals and carers can help. Christine Bryden makes an outspoken attempt to change prevailing attitudes and misconceptions about the disease. Arguing for greater empowerment and respect for people with dementia as individuals, she also reflects on the importance of spirituality in her life and how it has helped her better understand who she is and who she is becoming.

* Guide prices taken from Amazon.co.uk March 2006 and subject to change
** Guide prices taken from Amazon.co.uk March 2006 and subject to change (second hand price shown)