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A Personal Guide to Living with Progressive Memory Loss

A Personal Guide to Living with Progressive Memory Loss

Sandy Burgener and Prudence Twigg

Paperback: £14.99 / $24.95

2007, 234mm x 156mm / 9.25in x 6in, 160pp
ISBN: 978-1-84310-863-4, BIC 2: JM JKSG VFJD

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Introduction

This book has been written for people diagnosed with diseases that cause progressive memory loss and difficulty with thinking. Progressive memory loss can be caused by a number of different changes in the brain, such as those common in Alzheimer's disease, Lewy Body disease, frontal-temporal lobe dementia, or vascular dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of progressive memory loss. Despite the growing numbers of people diagnosed with these illnesses, few resources have been developed to aid you in your adjustment to the diagnosis and in managing the disease. This book is intended to begin to fill this gap in resources for you and others affected by progressive memory loss.

No matter what the cause of memory loss and thinking problems, anyone with memory loss will face common issues and concerns as they learn to manage their disease. This book will be most helpful to you in the early stages of your disease, soon after the diagnosis has been made. One goal of this book is to give you a personal resource and guide to help you manage your disease. As common challenges are described, actions you can take to manage the challenge are also given. Not every person will face each issue or challenge described in the book, at least not all at one time. The book can be used at different times throughout the early stages of memory loss, as new or different issues arise. All of the recommendations in the book are based on research findings from studies of people with progressive memory loss. Experiences from the clinical practice of both authors have informed the book as well. The clinical examples are true stories from the authors' practice with older adults with progressive memory loss. So, as you read the book, you will know that the recommendations are based on knowledge-not opinion.

With progressive memory loss, some changes in reading ability may occur. You or your family may think that this means you will not enjoy or benefit from reading. This is not the case. You may have trouble understanding abstract terms and concepts, but you should be able to understand concrete terms and ideas. To help with understanding, we have used examples or illustrations throughout this book. We have also used shorter sentences to convey the main ideas and messages. If an idea or suggestion is complex, we have stated it in several ways to make understanding easier for you. To make sure the book was easily understood, people with memory loss and their family members reviewed chapters as they were written. Their comments and suggestions have been incorporated in the book.

With any disease that is progressive in nature, you may tend to give up or say, "What's the use of trying?" after you receive your diagnosis. Importantly, many treatments, in addition to medications, have been tested and found to be helpful. These treatments may have positive effects on your mental, physical, and emotional functioning. Often, however, these treatments are not discussed with you by your healthcare provider. Recommending medications as the only treatment deprives you of the possible benefits of combining medications with non-medication therapies. We have described many non-medication treatments in this book. By giving you some choices about your treatments, you may have a greater feeling of control over your disease. You can choose which treatments and activities are best for you, in addition to medications. A second goal of this book, then, is to give you and your family members some choices about treatments. Using some of the suggested treatments may help you maintain your thinking abilities and memory longer. So, in addition to being a resource and guide for you, many of the suggested treatments and activities may help you function at the highest level possible as you manage your disease.

While this book is written for people with progressive memory loss, your spouse, family members, and friends might also benefit from reading it. Anyone who knows you well and interacts with you often can gain an understanding of the challenges you are facing. Your family and friends may gain insight into the many possible effects of the diagnosis on you. They will also learn about positive treatments, other than medications, which is especially important for family members and friends to understand. Each person in your life who reads the book may gain a better understanding of how to be a positive support for you. The book can also serve as a basis for talking about your concerns or needs. You may use examples from the book to help describe to others how you feel. As the people around you gain insight into the effects of the disease, they will become better advocates for you and provide stronger support. We are hopeful the book will also benefit you through the insights others will gain about progressive memory loss.