Editorial Review:

Few books manage to balance practical suggestions and loving sympathy as well as Talking to Alzheimer's, a concise and comprehensive guide to communication with both paid caregivers and their patients. While the title suggests focus on a specific disease, the recommendations are appropriate for any family struggling with serious communication issues, whether those issues are the result of stroke, surgery, disease, or an accident.

Much of the book discusses methods of easing conversation during visits, as well as ways to manage the emotions that can surface in difficult times. From asking open-ended questions like, "How did your day go?" to gently reintroducing yourself to lifelong friends, the pointers here are written with kindness, and they focus on maintaining dignity for all involved. Short sections include tips on involving children in your visits and a welcome list of resources that spans organizations, Web sites, and additional books; this straightforward advice even includes expected response time to Web site inquiries. Instead of an index, you'll find a list of topics, so you can find immediate answers on "ending a conversation" and "when to insist."

One lengthy chapter covers the heartbreakers, such as dealing with refusals to eat or listening to tearful requests to be taken home. Author Claudia Strauss acknowledges the difficulty of these situations honestly, while at the same time providing simple words that can help diffuse the issues and open the path for joyful visits that benefit everyone involved. --Jill Lightner

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Excellent!:

Such a positive approach. This book really helped me connect with my mother who has alzheimer's and is in a nursing home. I felt that I was making her more comfortable with our visits and not as confused. Thank you, Claudia J. Strauss for your helpful suggestions.

Not relevant enough:

This book is basically a "feel good" book and doesn't address the grittiness of dementia/alzheimer disease. There are many of us whose loved ones/friends have become extremely hateful and vitriolic, and this book does nothing to give us some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. "The 36-hour Day" is a much better and more comprehensive book.

Too much focus on what NOT to do:

There are not a lot of books out there that even attempt to help people learn how to talk to a person with Alzheimers. I was very happy to find this book at all since I have just begun working at a day center program for persons with Alzheimers and dementia. This book is full of practical advice on the many ways and reasons we talk to persons with dementia and in that way, the book is extremely valuable. However, the overall emphasis of the examples is on what NOT to do, which is very frustrating. One of... more info

A how to "Talking to Alzheimer"guide:

I first saw this book in the waiting room of a Dr. my mother was meeting with. I didn't have too much time to get into it then so I purchased it later and what a tremendous book, so easy to read and it had situations I am currenlty dealing with and the appropriate responses. I took it to my support group for caregivers and shared it with the group, some were going to purchase the next day. My thanks to Claudia Strauss for writing it!!

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