A Patients Guide to Living with Alzhiemers and Other Dementias - Paperback

by John Caro (Author)

I have been a dementia paitent for over fifteen years. I am also a caregiver with special training in Alzheimer's care. This book explains what is happening, how to deal with the changes, and how to slow the progression of the disease. There are increasingly good treatments for dementia. It may soon be a chronic but treatable disease like Aids or Diabetes. I tell you how to keep up with the latest treatment and how to prolong your time until they are developed. Anyone with dementia will find this book useful.

Author Biography

In another life I was a Captain in the Gulf of Mexico. I used my limited licence to obtain an unlimited able seaman and sailed around the world. I expected to rise quickly to officer rank but I started having trouble remembering things. I found I could no longer remember Morse code and other things started to slip. People I had sailed with for years suddenly were hard to name. I had a case of aphasia while talking to my wife that lasted twenty minutes, I could only laugh and say no, no. She was crying and begging me to tell her what was wrong. Finally I began havingshort periods of blindness while stering our ship. It was an ammo ship, the USNS Flint and I would start a count, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi when it happened. I figured I would call for help if I got to ten Mississippi but I never got past seven so I didn't say anything. I did go to our medical officer and explained what was going on. we went through his medical books and could only find one diagnoses Early Onset Alzheimer's. I was acutally a little relieved, after all, my problems weren't my fault. I went to see my doctor in San Diego when we made port a few days later and that's when we found the tumor. After sucessful removal some of my symptoms went away but some became worse. I found the doctors did not know much about dementia, many would contradict each other and often both would be wrong. I learned to find doctors that knew what they were doing, but it took some looking. I also tried to find any thing I could read or watch about dementia. I found many books for caregivers but very few for patients. Finally I decided to write one myself. I use my own book for advice because I often don't remember it myself. I've made a good life here in Florida, I live in my old family home with my wife and a pet blue heron. We have made our love strong. I believe that is the real secret of life. Love, peace and contentment. I am a happy man.