Howard D. Mehlinger

Caring for Carolee: What It's Like to Care for a Spouse with Alzheimer's at Home Howard D. Mehlinger

I appreciate it as a good fusion of personal experience and practical tips -Dayna A Thompson Alzheimer's Educator This booklet is intended for readers who wish to learn about the impact that dementia can have on the lives of happily married couples. The author traces the changes that have occurred in their individual lives and in their relationship to one another since his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Beginning with their awareness of her disease to the present day, the reader will learn about the adjustments they have been forced to make as they strive to "live normal lives" in their own home, as long as possible. This booklet is also a love story. It is told from the husband's (and primary caregiver's) point of view. He explores what it means to care for a loved one when the loved one is no longer capable of caring for him. There is nothing remarkable about the lives of the individuals described in this booklet. Hundreds of thousands of American men and women who are caring for a spouse afflicted with one or more forms of dementia have similar experiences. What is noteworthy is the near absence of first-person accounts by those who are coping with dementia on a daily basis. This booklet helps to help fill that gap.