The Most Important Lesson: What My Mother Taught Me That Will Change Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Forever

by Laura Anthony

Overview

Are you caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia and longing for greater purpose and meaning?
 
Are you tired of the ups and downs of daily challenges and looking for a new way to interact with your loved one?
 
Do you wish you could connect more deeply with your loved one?
 
Our society is buckling under the demands of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care, and now a simple but innovative approach has arrived. Laura Anthony brings you on her real-life journey of love and discovery as she cares for her mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Tired, frustrated, and confused, her caregiving responsibilities left her worn out and angry. One day, quite by accident, her mother provided an unexpected insight to make Laura challenge the status quo on how to communicate with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. That seemingly simple moment in time opened a world of infinite possibilities and returned peace, love, and respect to their relationship.
 
The Most Important Lesson provides the framework for caregivers and families to create a legacy of their own with their loved one and bring comfort, support, and greater purpose and meaning in the process. Society and future generations will benefit from the wisdom of our loved ones when following the guidelines contained in The Most Important Lesson.

Start today! Both you and your loved one deserve it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614487104
Publisher:	Morgan James Publishing
Publication date:	03/14/2014
Pages:	138
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Laura Anthony is a public health professional with more than twenty-five years’ experience in the hospital and home health arena working closely with patients, caregivers, social workers, and physicians. She received her master’s of public health at the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988 and since that time has focused on improving the quality of care for patients and their families. Nothing opened her eyes more than her own real-life experience of caring for her mother with Alzheimer's disease. Her personal journey has been life changing and a tremendous source of strength for others dealing with the disease.

Read an Excerpt

In some strange way, I wonder if perhaps by losing one’s short-term memory, God allows the true essence of life to come to the surface. As far-reaching as it may seem, perhaps we have all become too preoccupied with the here and now—this day, this moment, this little snapshot in time. Maybe we are all losing the point entirely by focusing on the short-term and not seeing the bigger picture of life.

Perhaps the silver lining of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is that it forces us to focus on a much deeper level of humanity by connecting our experiences with life lessons. Ultimately, living our lives based on tried and true life lessons and passing those life lessons on to others is the point of life. Could it be? I’d like to think so, and after my time with Nana Nu, I know so.

I would ask her what she’d had for breakfast, and she’d ponder for several seconds, but in the end she would say, “Oh, it really doesn’t matter. Whatever it was, I’m sure it was good.” The truth is, it really didn’t matter. She was right. It was small talk and really had no bearing on the big picture we call life. But when I asked her to tell me the most important lessons she had learned during her life, she’d say, “So many things, Laura. Where do I start? Let’s talk.” She’d be as clear and sharp as a tack.

Feeling pride in our conversations, she was overjoyed that I asked. I was spellbound with what she had to say, and I never expected what I heard because it was always quite profound. She shared thoughts and ideas that changed my life and my beliefs about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care forever. My goal is to share this with you.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The End

Part I: From Rain to Rainbow
Chapter One: A Beautiful Soul
Chapter Two: Crisis
Chapter Three: Traditional Wisdom
Chapter Four: Discovery of a Lifetime—the Wisdom Equation

Part II: Life Questions, Life Lessons
Chapter Five: Life
Chapter Six: Relationships
Chapter Seven: Religion and Faith
Chapter Eight: Health
Chapter Nine: Wealth and Money
Chapter Ten: Humor

Part III: The Next Chapter
Chapter Eleven: The Beginning

Acknowledgements
Resources
Appendix