On my last plane trip, I had the pleasure of reading the book, Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease, by Ron Kauffman. Mr. Kauffman’s experience in caring for his mother, who had Alzheimer’s Disease, led to his writing this book.

It isn’t a long book, only 62 pages, which is nice for those who need the information but don’t have much time. It is full of useful information and easy to read, both big pluses.

The first chapter includes the Alzheimer’s Disease Association’s 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. Very useful and handy to have at your fingertips if you have an elderly parent you are concerned about.

Chapter two provides a great explanation and comparison of dementia in general and Alzheimer’s Disease specifically. It also gives various statistics for Alzheimer’s. The one I found most staggering was that individuals 85 and older have a 50% chance of developing this disease. With people living longer, we can expect more and more Baby Boomers to become caregivers and if a cure is not found, the number of Baby Boomers with Alzheimer’s Disease in just a few decades could be huge – as many as 16 million by 2050!

Chapter three goes into suggestions for getting a true diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and discusses the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and other possible causes of symptoms you may be seeing, such as depression.

The different types of Alzheimer’s Disease, including inheritance patterns and early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, is discussed in Chapter 4

Chapter 5 goes into the seven major forms of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s Disease is responsible for 66%. These forms include Parkinson’s Disease, which has impacted my family, vascular and brain attack dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Pick Disease, Alcohol-related dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, head trauma, HIV/AIDS, and normal pressure Hydrocephalus.

Activities of daily living (ADLs), both basic and instrumental, are listed in chapter 6. I found this especially interesting as many insurance programs are based on these.

Chapter 7 has a very useful list of the symptoms of each of the seven stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

What Alzheimer’s Caregivers Need to Know, chapter 8, is full of excellent hints and helps. It covers communications, behavior management, wandering, long term care insurance, preparation and caregiver health.

A list of resources completes this book in chapter 9. It provides several links which were new to me, something I am always on the lookout for.

Overall, I believe this book would be a useful addition to a caregiver’s library if they are dealing with or expect to deal with a loved one with any form of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. It retails for $12.95 plus shipping and handling and you can purchase it at his website, http://www.seniorlifestyles.net/ . You can also read his blog there as well as get information about his podcasts.

Since today is Sunday and it is Alzheimer’s Disease month, I thought I would share some thoughts and links that focus on dementia care and spiritual matters. Christian Life Resources has an interesting article. A pastor discusses how he connects with his wife, who has Alzheimer’s Disease, using God’s Word. Mayo Clinic’s website has several interesting articles on Alzheimer’s Disease. One that is no longer up talked about the importance of how a spiritual ritual can be used in ministering to and communicating with the patient. The article gave several excellent ideas for ways to do this including taking your loved one to church. As they pointed out, “Bringing someone with Alzheimer's to religious services isn't always easy because he or she may be disruptive. Some places of worship, however, have special rooms designed for parents to take noisy children. These areas could also be used for someone with Alzheimer's.”

Another possibility is looking for churches which offer ministries for those with special needs. A couple of the churches I’ve attended in the past had classes specifically for those who could not attend regular church but could attend these classes. I would encourage you to read to your loved one from their favorite version of the Bible. If you have a copy of their own Bible with underlining, those verses would be a great place to start. I would also suggest purchasing a familiar hymnal, if you don’t already have one, and use it to sing familiar songs to/with your loved one.  I have read many encouraging accounts by those who go to care facilities to play worship songs and have seen positive responses from people who have Alzheimer’s Disease. The elderly patients often didn’t know where they were or who they were, but they remembered all the words to old familiar hymns as well as passages from the Bible that they had memorized, such as the Lord’s Prayer.

I’ve also heard of patients responding to children’s nursery songs about Jesus, such as “Jesus Loves Me.” This is another excellent reason for us to seek out and enjoy Bible and memory activities for grandparents and grandchildren that include singing hymns and praise songs together, helping them memorize Bible verses and working to learn the verses along with them. We are helping ourselves as well as them – both for now as some excellent "brain training exercises," and for later to work to stave off memory loss when we join the ranks of the elderly.  God promises us that, “The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12a. He also promises us in Isaiah 55:8-11, “

My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

It doesn’t specify that this is only true for healthy people. It is a promise to all His children, even those with Alzheimer’s Disease. We may not understand or see the response, but I take great comfort and encouragement in the belief that He can and will use it in our lives, no matter the circumstances.

One other important thought specifically for all of us Sandwich Generation caregivers. Our spiritual health is just as vital! I don’t know about you, but if I start missing too many Bible studies or church services, I start “wilting” spiritually! It’s vital for us to seek different ways to spend time in God’s Word daily. If I can’t sit down to do a regular Bible study, I will usually listen to a sermon I’ve saved onto my mp3 player. My mother enjoys listening to our church’s Sunday service which is played on the radio each Sunday afternoon. However you do it, I would encourage you to make it your goal to spend time each day in His Word to help you as you go about your caregiving duties. Also, if your loved one is living with you but is no longer able to go to church with you, ask relatives and friends to stay with your loved one at least once a month so that you can go to church. If there is no one available who can help you with this, call your church office to see if they can suggest anyone who is able to help you. Caring for elderly parents, particularly those with dementia symptoms, is full of stress! One of the best gifts you can give your aging parents is to take good care of yourself as well. Then you'll be able to do a better job taking care of them.

Do you have any suggestions or tips in this area. We would love to hear them. Please leave a comment below. And to keep up-to-date on resources and words of encouragement for the Sandwich Generation caring for elderly parents and helping with their grandchildren…

“President Reagan launched a national campaign against Alzheimer's disease 25 years ago when he proclaimed November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month in 1983.” I found this quote on the website for the Alzheimer’s Association. In the spirit of support, I am doing at least two postings about this disease. Today’s is a list of different sites that may interest those who are dealing with this or know someone who is. Later I will be doing a book review on Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease by Ron Kauffman.

Alzheimer’s Association - They have message boards, a senior housing finder, an online calendar to help coordinate helpers (I suspect that might be useful to many caregivers, even those who aren’t dealing with Alzheimer’s), carefinder assistance, what looks to be an excellent library service that works in conjunction with your local library, interesting articles and much more. They are currently asking people to come to their site to sign a proclamation to President-Elect Obama asking him to take the lead in making Alzheimer’s Disease a thing of the past. Doing this will also sign you up for regular updates from them. If you would rather not receive updates, just send an email requesting your name be removed from the Alzheimer Advocate Network to advocate@alz.org or call (202) 393-7737.

National Institute on Aging – This site defines Alzheimer’s Disease, discusses symptoms, treatments, and frequently asked questions.

Mayo Clinic - world renowned for their medical research, they have a site that also offers general information on this subject.

About.com always has excellent information on topics. One of their highlighted topics caught my eye - “Is It Really Alzheimer’s? As Mr. Kauffman writes in his book, there are other diseases that can be similar to Alzheimer’s. It can be quite confusing and it is vital to stay on top of the diagnosis process with your doctor to get the best possible diagnosis.

Along those same lines, I discovered Helene Moore’s website a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share it with you as well. Her husband was mis-diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s Disease  in 1993. Seven years later they corrected the diagnosis when they discovered that he does NOT have Alzheimer’s. She wrote a book, Behind the Mask, to relate their story. She also used her experience in dealing with caring for him over those years to spearhead her “Adopt a Caregiver” program.

One more personal blog I found of interest is written by Dr. Thomas, a physician and psychiatrist with Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, who writes about how he deals with it, as well as providing excellent resource information on the subject.

For several years, I have subscribed to “Alzheimer’s Daily News." This is an excellent email, which constantly keeps me updated on the subject of Alzheimer’s Disease, from Ageless Design. They also have an Alzheimer’s store.

Have you found any interesting blogs that would be useful for us? Please let us know in the comments below. Thank you.