There's Still a Person in There : The Complete Guide to Treating and Coping with Alzheimer's

by Castleman, Michael; Gallagher-Thompson, Dolores; Naythons, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780399145711
• ISBN10: 0399145710
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-12-27
• Publisher: Putnam Adult

Summary

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in treating, managing, and preventing Alzheimer's. With information about the latest medical advances, coping strategies for caregivers, and affecting accounts from families dealing with this disease, There's Still a Person in There presents a new understanding of Alzheimer's -- one that is optimistic, courageous, and comforting.

Author Biography

Considered "one of the nation's top health writers" (Library Journal), Michael Castleman is the editorial director of Alzheimers.com, the most comprehensive Alzheimer's website for the general public. A well-known and widely published magazine health writer, he is the author of eight books on consumer health, including Nature's Cures, An Aspirin a Day, and The Healing Herbs. A recognized and respected educator in the fields of caregiving and geropsychology, Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, Ph.D., is one of the nation's foremost experts on Alzheimer's disease. She is an associate professor at Stanford University Medical Center and has written more than one hundred research papers on care-giving. Matthew Naythons, M.D., pioneered the dissemination of Internet health information. A cofounder of the RxMedia Group and Epicenter Communications in Sausalito, California, he is currently vice-president for health Information at PlanetRx.com. All three authors live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Table of Contents

Introduction: New Insights, New Hope	1	(5)
``There's Still a Person in There''
Profile of Ann and Julian Davidson	5	(25)
Worried About Someone?
The Warning Signs of Alzheimer's	30	(4)
Dr. Alzheimer's Strange Discovery
The History, Biology, and Rising Toll of Alzheimer's	34	(13)
``We Wanted Very Much to Take Care of Her''
Profile of Jorge, Anna, and Rosa Flores	47	(18)
Who's at Risk?
Important New Insights into Risk Factors for Alzheimer's	65	(21)
The Diagnostic Dilemma
Is It Really Alzheimer's?	86	(15)
Coping with Alzheimer's Disease
The Experts' Ten-Step Program	101	(6)
``Poor Tyrone''
Profile of Sandra and Tyrone Worthington	107	(18)
The Other Dementias
Some Causes of Dementia May Be Treatable	125	(20)
The New Alzheimer's Treatments
The Latest Drugs, Medicinal Herbs, and Other Therapies	145	(31)
``It's Nothing to be Ashamed of, It's a Disease''
Profile of Faith Hung and Her Family	176	(17)
Before You do Anything Else, Take Care of Yourself
A Lesson for Caregivers	193	(26)
A Practical Introduction to Loving Caregiving
How to Care for Someone with Alzheimer's	219	(41)
When You can no Longer Cope with Day-to-Day Caregiving
How to Evaluate, Select, and Pay for Residential Care	260	(19)
``Oh, The Joy of Me''
Profile of Debbie and Doris Hoffmann	279	(17)
The New Science of Staying Mentally Sharp---for Life
The Latest Discoveries About Memory Preservation	296	(22)
Epilogue	318	(2)
Appendix I. Resources	320	(16)
Appendix II. Alzheimers. Com	336	(1)
References and Bibliography	337	(24)
Permissions	361	(2)
Index	363