My Life Rearranged: Musings of an Alzheimer Caregiver

"A stirring book that offers an ideal blend of direction and comfort to fellow caregivers." —Kirkus

Pssst ...is your life being rearranged?

You are not alone. Alzheimer’s and dementia will turn your life inside out and upside down. In fact, there are many days you won’t know if you are coming or going. Susan Miller knows those days. Her husband was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s. She became the long distance caregiver for her father’s medical issues, followed by her mother’s diagnosis of dementia and then a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s for her mother-in-law. After decades of caregiving and years of widowhood, Susan met a wonderful widower, only to discover signs of dementia. My Life Rearranged gives voice to what many caregivers think, but are reluctant to admit. You will discover:

• The issues of love, loss, responsibility, duty, and self-preservation while navigating the stages of the disease.
• What it’s like to struggle with a disease that strikes terror in people’s hearts and offers ways to come through intact.
• How to lessen the isolation and loneliness of caregiving, and bring honest insight into the life of a caregiver.

Imagine coming home from the store and laying your package down, only to find it gone thirty minutes later, nowhere to be found.

Imagine looking for your favorite cereal in the morning, not finding it anywhere, and only later when you go to do a load of wash, do you find it.

Imagine living with your spouse of many years, only to awaken one day and find he has turned into a child.

Imagine thinking you are living in a house of cards, or that you are imagining it all, or perhaps it’s just a dream and you’ll soon awaken, but it’s not and you don’t.

Imagine repeating this scenario over and over again.

My Life Rearranged will tug at your heart, touch your soul, inspire you, and help you believe in your capabilities.

Susan Miller is a former caregiver, support group leader, lecturer and workshop presenter on the various facets of Alzheimer's for family and professional caregivers.She is a strong advocate for caregivers-the second victim in a disease that steals something from everyone it touches. Susan has walked the walk, and knows the steps along the journey.Her background, which includes wife, mother, school teacher, realtor, corporate trainer in both corporate America and the healthcare world, counselor, and outplacement specialist, reflects her impressive versatility.Susan has a master's in counseling. Combining her education and work experience with her personal caregiving experience, she brings extensive expertise and wisdom to the issue of caregiving, loss, and letting go. As a national speaker, she has traveled to Washington to present on behalf of caregivers, lectured at various Alzheimer's Associations, nursing homes and assisted livings.She and her past husband were featured in a CBS three-part series on this dreaded disease. When Susan is not speaking, you will find here in San Diego by the beach, where she and her dog, Lulu, spend hours walking and enjoying the calm the beach brings to one's soul. SusanGMiller.com AlzheimersCaregiverAdvocate.com