Dementia Caregiver

Becoming a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another neurocognitive disorder can be an unexpected, undesirable, underappreciated—and yet noble role. It is heartbreaking to watch someone lose the very cognitive capacities that once helped to define them as a person. But because of the nature of these disorders, the only way to become an effective caregiver and cope with the role’s many daily challenges is to become well-informed about the disease. With the right information, resources and tips on caregiving and working with professionals, you can become your own expert at both caring for your charge and taking care of yourself. In these pages, Marc Agronin guides readers through a better understanding of the changes their loved one may be going through, and helps them tap into the various resources available to them as they embark on an uncertain caregiving journey. Insisting that a caregiver also maintain his or her own health and well being, Agronin guides caregivers in their efforts to provide care, but to also look to themselves as recipients of care from themselves and others. Shedding light on the debilitating disorders themselves as well as their everyday realities, this book is a much-needed resource for anyone caring for another person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders.

According to Agronin (Miami Jewish Health Systems), Alzheimer’s disease is currently the most common neurocognitive disease (NCD), and such cases are expected to quadruple worldwide within the next 50 years: surely the need for well-informed caregivers will also increase. Inspired by his long professional experience with NCD patients, Agronin offers an easy-to-understand guide for anyone who serves as a nonprofessional caregiver. An introduction briefly explains the book’s purpose and describes requisite yet attainable characteristics of caregivers. The bulk of the material offers definitions of NCDs, including their known or suspected causes; recommended courses of action to take as a disease intensifies; and best practices for maintaining a person’s quality of life. Equally important topics deal with respite time for the caregiver, possible legal matters, and long-term care. The final chapter is a convenient list of relevant organization names and contact information. . . . VERDICT This practical guide outlines a sensible approach to providing quality care and is therefore highly recommended for anyone who is committed to serving as a caregiver., The Dementia Caregiver: A Guide to Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurocognitive Disorders is an easy-to-read training manual for caregivers. The book helps readers gain a better understanding of what is happening to their loved one., The Dementia Caregiver is an essential guide for anyone caring for a loved one affected with a dementing illness, like Alzheimer’s. Dr. Agronin has drawn on science and his extensive clinical experience to produce a readable handbook that offers technical and practical information for new and experienced caregivers. The book acknowledges that the caregiver has assumed a new role – what others have called “a new career;” this book is an enormously helpful caregiver job training manual., The Dementia Caregiver is a well-organized, thorough and practical guide for caregivers. It is accessible to the layman, but would be useful to professionals, as well. It does not ignore difficult or delicate matters, nor does it neglect the importance of maintaining dignity for the affected person. I would consider this a useful addition to my library.

Marc E. Agronin, M.D., is a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist who currently serves as the Vice President for Behavioral Health and Clinical Research at the Miami Jewish Health Systems, Florida’s largest long-term care provider. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Yale School of Medicine, and completed his training in psychiatry at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Agronin is a nationally-recognized expert in late-life mental illness and was named the “Clinician of the Year” by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry in 2008. He is a prolific author whose articles and blogs have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Scientific American Mind, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Today Show, CNN, and National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” and “On Point.” Agronin is the author of numerous articles and books in the field of psychiatry, including the acclaimed book How We Age: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Growing Old.