Mike & Me: An Inspiring Guide For Couples Who Choose to Face Alzheimer's Together At Home.

by Rosalys Peel, Dan Zadra

Overview

More than three years in the making, this book changes everything for Alzheimer's couples and caregivers. When her husband Mike was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Rosalys Peel made a deal with him. Together, they vowed that they would manage Alzheimer's in their own home and go right on living life as normally as possible for as long as possible. Over the next ten years they found new ways to defy and surpass virtually all the typical Alzheimer's statistics. Despite Mike's illness they pursued their dreams, traveled the world, helped raise their granddaughter, maintained their romance, kept Mike on his feet, and found new ways to communicate with their friends, family and each other. They also saved countess thousands of dollars by doing it in the familiar surroundings of their own home. Through it all Rosalys kept a journal of their discoveries. The result is her inspiring guidebook for Alzheimer's couples, entitled "Mike & Me."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780692046784
Publisher:	Zadra Publishing
Publication date:	01/29/2018
Edition description:	None
Pages:	329
Sales rank:	426,209
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rosalys Peel is a Registered Nurse, a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator, and a Gotman-certified couples' relationship facilitator. For more than 30 years she has been a respected voice in the childbirth education movement. She currently teaches classes at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and has been a featured guest on NPR and The Today Show. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Dan Zadra is the founder of Seattle's Compendium Inc, one of the nation's foremost publishers of inspirational books, gifts and greeting cards. Over the past 35 years he has written, co-written or edited more than 200 books, including dozens of award-winning gift books, a variety of private label business books, several acclaimed children's books, and six consecutive best-sellers. He lives in Wallace, Idaho.

Table of Contents

Prologue

A Message to My Reader xiv

A Guide for the Road Ahead xvi

Part I Discovering Mike has Alzheimer's

What's Wrong with Mike? 2

The Day We Got the Diagnosis 8

How Long Do We Have? 10

Part II Preparing for the Road Ahead

Mike and I Make a Deal 14

Designating Mike's Power of Attorney 17

Calculating the Cost of Our Home Care Plan 21

To Work or Not to Work 27

Part III Holding on to Our Love Story and Our Dreams

Our Life and Love Before Alzheimer's 34

Keeping the Spark Alive 40

Fulfilling Our Travel Dreams 47

How Love Can Triumph Over Alzheimer's 55

Wedding Rings Have Their Stories 61

Part IV Forming Our Circle of Support

Telling Our Friends that Mike has Alzheimer's 66

Learning to Accept Support from Others 69

The Angels Next Door 73

A Priceless Gift from Two Old Friends 76

Part V Resolving our Differences

Arguments Will Happen 82

The Battle of the Car Keys 87

An ID Bracelet for Mike? 93

Understanding Alzheimer's Anger 97

A Word About Yelling 107

When is it Okay to Lie to Your Love One? 112

Part VI Learning to Compensate and Keep Going

Keeping Mike Safely on His Feet 118

When Words Begin to Fail 125

Table for Two 139

Making the Most of Medications 144

Maintaining Your Partner's Dignity 149

The Magic of Proper Sleep 154

Part VII Still Savoring Life at Year 5

What Life was Like for Mike and Me in Year 5 160

When Mike Could No Longer be Left Alone 174

Hiring a Family Friend to Help 178

Can a Spouse be a Caregiver and Still be a Spouse? 181

Good Reasons to Join a Support Group 185

Part VIII Keeping Up with Our Children and Grand Children

Celebrating Our Daughter's Wedding 190

Mike's Gift for the Baby 194

Little Riley and Grandpa Mike Hit it Off Right Away 197

Part IX Nourishing the Spirit

Keep the Music Playing 206

The Best Medicine of All 210

Kisses and Hugs Continue 215

On Faith and Prayer 217

Part X Counting Our Blessings in Year 9

12 Unexpected Blessings at this Late Stage 222

A Farewell Visit to Mountain Brook 230

Why I Finally Hired a Professional Caregiver 232

Saving Mike from Becoming Bedridden 236

Celebrating our 45th Wedding Anniversary 239

Part XI Accepting that the End of Life Is Near

When Hospice Joined Our Circle 248

Discussing Life and Death 255

Mike's Last Visit to Dr. Jung 259

What Our Last Few Months Together were Like 264

Keeping Our Marriage Bed 272

Human Touch is Therapy 275

Part XII Mike and I Say Goodbye

A Light in the Dark 280

Letting Go 282

Forever Remembered 287

Part XIII Hope for the Future

Have Faith 292

We are All in this Fight Together 294

The Mailbox at the Top of the Hill 298

Acknowledgments 300

More Praise for Mike Me 302

About the Author 304

Editorial Reviews

"Here's new hope, help and guidance for Alzheimer's couples everywhere." - Lily Jung Henson, M.D.

"Mike & Me is so beautifully written! The author illustrates how she and her husband chose to keep right on enjoying life after his Alzheimer's diagnosis. Hand in hand they took a leap of faith and embraced the journey together." - Laureen Rogers, Professional Life Coach

"Here's proof that couples who are fighting the ravages of dementia can still have years of quality time together. As a behavioral neurologist who cares for many Alzheimer's couples, I highly recommend taking not just a page out of this book, but the whole thing!" - Glen R. Finney, M.D.

"For couples confronting Alzheimer's, this book shines welcome rays of hope into fearful and unfamiliar territory." - Doris Fleming, Chaplain/Co-Founder, Creative Expression Outlet

"Pragmatic and heartfelt, insightful and informative, Mike & Me reminds us that Alzheimer's, like life, is about hope, help and abiding love. It is a shared journey." - Bob LeRoy, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Association, Washington State Chapter

From the Publisher