Parental Dementia: A Guide Through All the Difficult Questions. The Essential Book for Dementia Families

by Galas, Keith; Eskew, Halle

• ISBN13: 9781543972368
• ISBN10: 1543972365
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-07-01
• Publisher: Bookbaby

Summary

As a Memory Care Director, Keith Galas has spent close to 20 years helping families work through the often heart-wrenching questions generated by a loved one's diagnosis with dementia. What do I do now? Who will take care of Mom? How much will it cost for her care? How can I keep her safe? In Parental Dementia: A Guide Through All the Difficult Questions, he guides your family through the uncertainty and anguish that accompanies a dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Dementia cases are on the rise. Roughly 10 percent of those over the age of 65 in the United States have Alzheimer's, and it is the sixth leading cause of death, according to the Alzheimer's Association. There are more than 5 million Americans currently living with dementia. Unless a cure is found, as many as 16 million Americans could have dementia by 2050. Globally there are 50 million estimated dementia cases and, to that number, 10 million are added annually. If you are about to embark on the road of caring for a loved one with dementia, you can be assured that you are not alone. Millions of family members have faced the same questions you may now be asking, and Parental Dementia: A Guide Through All the Difficult Questions will help you answer them.

Including anecdotes both from a daughter's journey with parental dementia and Keith's own experience helping dementia families, it aims to help you understand that there is a way through this difficult time. No matter your life situation, it will serve as a roadmap through the arduous journey upon which you are about to embark and leave you with the tools—and the hope—to provide your loved ones with the care they need.

Author Biography

Keith Galas is the executive director of a Memory Care community that has been referred to as the "Gold Standard" of Memory Care in Atlanta, Georgia. With a 20-year career of improving elder life, he has a special gift for knowing what caregivers are going through and how to guide them through all aspects of parental dementia. He has emphasized the intrinsic value of each of his residents in the training of his care team, fully believing that "People are valuable at every stage of life. I feel privileged to partner with families to help Mom live in a dignified manner." In Parental Dementia: A Guide Through All the Difficult Questions, he shares stories of his experiences caring for those with dementia. He addresses many of the questions that plague caregiving children and will help them find their way through the maze of options that exist in the world of parental dementia care.Halle Eskew shares personal experiences from her decade-long journey of caring for her parents who both confronted Alzheimer's. Her detailed stories offer readers practical ideas from the trenches—from how to keep Mom safe, how to deal with giving up the car keys, and how to help out with managing finances—while offering prime ways to build treasured memories in the midst of loss. With firsthand experience in parental care at home, Halle provides valuable insights into what you should expect when it's time to move Mom from home care to an assisted living or memory care community. Halle draws from a long family history of dementia that has included two generations on both sides. "I was a teenager when I first witnessed the signs of dementia in my grandmother. Years later, Alzheimer's entered our lives in a highly personal way when my father was diagnosed with dementia at age 76." This book will help you from the first day you realize Mom is struggling with dementia.