Caregiver Confidential: Stories of Living with My Husband's Alzheimer's Disease

by Cheri J. Bailly-Jacobs

Overview

When your loved one has Alzheimer's Disease, you may feelfrustration, loneliness, and exhaustion.

• Each sign of your loved one's mental decline is upsetting, and seeking a medical diagnosis is frustrating. You feel angry, and guilt follows your anger.

• It's difficult for family and friends to fully understand what you're going through. You may struggle alone with the responsibility for your loved one's care.

• The demands of caregiving begin to exhaust you as your loved one's health continues to decline.

Cheri tells her personal experiences of caregiving for her husband with love, humor, and candor. She hopes her stories will encourage caregivers to reach out for help and to find compassion for themselves and their loved ones.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940163897247
Publisher:	Alta Pearl Press
Publication date:	03/28/2020
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Cheri Bailly-Jacobs was a human resources business specialist for 35 years. Her husband, Bob Jacobs, a retired financial services executive, was diagnosed with dementia in 2002, long before she retired. To help understand the range of emotions she felt as her husband’s caregiver, she began to write stories about her experiences.

Cheri is a graduate of the University of Oregon and earned an MBA degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She lives in California’s Napa Valley.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One Entering the World of Alzheimer’s

Chapter 1 Who Wants to Be a Caregiver?

Chapter 2 My Life Before Marriage

Chapter 3 The Pursuit of a Diagnosis

Part Two Learning to Live with the Early Stages

Chapter 4 Who to Tell?

Chapter 5 Alarmed by Problems with Easy Tasks

Chapter 6 Unexpected Distress

Chapter 7 My Absence Creates Problems

Chapter 8 The Importance of Finding Resources

Chapter 9 Challenges in Support Group

Chapter 10 Finding Humor in Repetition

Chapter 11 A Bit of Hope—NPH Surgery

Chapter 12 Getting Help at Home

Part Three Anger, Denial, Guilt, and Acceptance

Chapter 13 My Shock at Bob’s Loss of Words

Chapter 14 Support Group Success

Chapter 15 Disappointment Turns into Anger

Chapter 16 My Need for Appreciation

Chapter 17 When Anger Gets in the Way

Chapter 18 The Need to Help with More

Chapter 19 Learning to Accept Decline

Chapter 20 Progress with Managing Anger

Part Four The Unexpected Losses

Chapter 21 Social Occasions Bring on New Difficulties

Chapter 22 My Panic When He Disappears

Chapter 23 Sundowning Challenges

Chapter 24 The End of Dining Out

Chapter 25 We Learn to Accept Leaving Mind Boosters

Part Five Transportation Challenges

Chapter 26 The Driving Decision

Chapter 27 Who Will Be the Navigator?

Chapter 28 Trials with the Paratransit Bus

Chapter 29 Unexpected Lessons from an Auto Accident

Part Six A Break Rather Than a Breaking Point

Chapter 30 My Fears about Alzheimer’s Camp

Chapter 31 A Failed Getaway Weekend

Chapter 32 We Explore Respite Facilities

Part Seven Late Stage Journeys

Chapter 33 Referral to Hospice

Chapter 34 Our Hospice Experience

Chapter 35 My Morning Farewell

Epilogue

Note to Readers

Editorial Reviews

“I think your book is amazing and right on point. I expected it to be a bit different, but it’s just how I think a book should be written from the caregiver’s point of view—its effect on them. I especially enjoyed it because I knew so much about it.”—Kristin Einberger, Consultant for Early Memory Loss

“I have read your manuscript; in fact, I found it so interesting that I completed it in just a few days. After reading your accounts of how you felt at various times and occasions, I could relate to that so many times. It was very interesting to hear how you coped with situations as they arose. I have been reading many blogs online about caregiving, and they are typically about caring for parents or other relatives—not so much about spouses. I must say that it is very different. I appreciate your candor and honesty.” —Karin Wasell, caregiver for her husband with Alzheimer’s

“Amazing story of love, persistence, stamina, and a complex array of emotions across the points of tension that characterize the dramatic change in the anatomy of a relationship. An excellent read, written by an honest and skillful reporter/storyteller.” —Helen McDermott, family caregiver

From the Publisher