Many of you know me as Bettyhere*. Years ago I was working with a woman whose FIL had AD. She’d tell us how he forgot his children, etc, and while we were all polite, it never really registered. I had no idea, then, that my husband’s sometimes odd behavior was a sign of his having AD. I just thought he was a little quirky and distracted, whatever. By 1993, I finally took him to the doctor. I knew nothing about the disease. I researched and learned, but at that time I wanted a handy book that would tell me, in simple layman’s terms, what I was dealing with. So in 2004 I wrote one, “When the Doctor Says, Alzheimer’s: Your caregivers Guide to Alzheimer’s & Dementia.” It got very good reviews on Amazon and was endorsed by Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, who was Director at the time of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center; and with a Forward by Jacqueline Marcell, author of ‘Elder Rage.’ I am currently revising and updating it and hope it will be out in several weeks.
For 6 years I’ve been writing a monthly ‘All About Alzheimer’s’ column for ‘Today’s Senior Magazine’. I recently compiled 5 years of those columns into a book that just came out, ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Through the Looking Glass.’ If you look it up, they have the Table of Contents listed and you can see all the topics covered and read a description of the book. My books are paperbacks & on kindle, all on Amazon.
I am writing this now because, again, a newbie recently expressed her dismay about her husband’s behavior in public and sex. ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Through the Looking Glass’ has over 5 pages on Sexuality. Everyone wrote to assure her that, yup, they do burp, fart, swear and act inappropriately. It helps to know that is common behavior and YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The book doesn’t cover everything, but it will help caregivers to better understand what is going on about dozens of subjects—just to have it on hand.
I never discuss medical or science issues, I have no background for that—it’s all about caregiving. I have a self-imposed mission to teach the general public – and many in the medical field – the true facts about AD. There is such a divide between what happens when we go to the doctor and what goes on in the home.
Joan recently wrote about the importance of Caregiver Support. I couldn’t agree more. I hope that my writings fill a part of that need.