The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer's Family

Santulli, Robert B; Blandin, Kesstan

ISBN 10: 161168773X ISBN 13: 9781611687736

Publisher: Dartmouth, 2015

Synopsis

Alzheimer's disease is a growing public health crisis. According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are 5.4 million victims of this disease; by 2050, there will be close to 15 million people who suffer from this debilitating disorder of memory, thinking, personality, and functioning. The disease profoundly affects immediate family members, close friends, and neighbors. These people--the Alzheimer's family--undergo tremendous psychological and emotional change as they witness the cruel and relentless progression of the disease in their loved one.

Incorporating over thirty years of experience with Alzheimer's patients and their families with current medical knowledge, the authors chart the complex emotional journey of the Alzheimer's family from the onset of the disease through the death of the loved one. They discuss the anger that rises in the face of discordant views of the disease, the defenses that emerge when family members are unwilling to accept a dementia diagnosis, and the common emotions of anxiety, guilt, anger, and shame. They focus especially on grief as the core response to losing a loved one to dementia, and describe the difficult processes of adaptation and acceptance, which lead to personal growth. Final chapters emphasize the importance of establishing a care community and how to understand and cope with personal stress.

This volume will be useful to medical professionals and ordinary people close to or caring for a person with dementia.

Hardcover is un-jacketed.

About this title

About the Author

ROBERT B. SANTULLI, MD is honorary associate professor of psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. He is the author of The Alzheimer's Family: Helping Caregivers Cope. KESSTAN BLANDIN, PhD is a research psychologist at the Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging.

Review

“Much has been written about Alzheimer’s disease and the family, but surprisingly little has been said about the emotional journey along which people travel from the early symptoms of the disease to its ultimate ending in death. In The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer’s Family, Santulli and Blandin address these struggles and triumphs in a straightforward and accessible way. People with early dementia, family care providers, and health-care professionals will all gain from the wisdom they provide.” (Peter Rabins, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)

About this edition

• Publisher: Dartmouth
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 161168773X
• ISBN 13: 9781611687736
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 232