Not long after Mom had been diagnosed, I became hungry for more knowledge. I decided to read up on as much as possible, looking to the Kindlestore for anything that might even hold more clues for me. At that time there were only a few books that dealt with LBD so I bought them. Now, there are approximately 60 titles related to the term, and the number is growing.
Luckily for me, there wasn’t a great deal of browsing or shopping to be done. I found the 7-8 titles that were affordable (seriously, there were some in the $80-$700 range - I didn’t need to be that technical, as I could probably find them at the library!) and I bought them. I read them, cover-to-cover, and eventually I forgot about them until I decided to write these reviews, and I was so glad I was able to re-read them! Especially this one.
Judy Towne Jennings PT, MA, has written from her own experiences with her husband, Dean, who was diagnosed in 2008, although they had been attempting to figure out what was wrong since 2005. Through her experiences with her husband and her knowledge as a physical therapist Mrs. Jennings has written a resource book that I would suggest every family member, caregiver, and anyone associated with Lewy Body Dementia read and keep handy.
While reading, I was able to understand (better now with the passage of nearly 2 years) Mom’s decline and what this means in her progression. While LBD doesn’t always follow the same series of progressions that others, say Alzheimer’s, might, it does have characteristics that fall into a pattern during the regression of the patient.
What Mrs. Jennings has brought out are not only the symptoms and progressions of the disease, but also pointers for those who are caring for the patient - be it in the home or in a facility. What are the Do’s and Don’t’s of the situation? What are steps to take to help in case? What does this symptom mean? How do you handle XYZ? And, to top it off, she offers an appendix of resources in the back. She states, very clearly, in the introduction that this book is a result and “compilation of the trial and error strategies” that she and her husband used. To be honest, it all makes sense.
Her husband and she first learnt of the diagnosis and what the ramifications were, so he decided to fight back for as long as possible by playing as much tennis as he could. He stayed active until he was no longer able to be effective and his abilities began to suffer the consequences of the diagnosis. They began to plan, work with the doctors, and as time went on they worked together until he was no longer able to actually function cooperatively.
This book takes you from the beginnings of the diagnosis when LBD really wasn’t anything anyone had heard of through the end of the journey for him and the grieving process for her.
While not every snippet of information may seem relevant at the reader’s part of the journey, this is something to keep nearby as reference - you never know with LBD what will happen next!
There is information on medical, medicinal, practical, spiritual, physical, legal, and mental aspects for the caregiver and ideas for maintaining care and good health for the patient.
I hadn’t thought of how important car maintenance was for the caregiver and patient until she mentioned it! That’s a detail most won’t include, but it’s so vital and practical.
This book is quite readable and affordable, even if you’re buying it in paperback. I heartily recommend it!
Jennings, Judy Towne PT, MA. Living with Lewy Body Dementia: one caregiver’s personal, in-depth experience. Bloomington. 2012.
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