Combating Overwhelm and Loneliness: More Resources
January is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. This year I've been sharing resources, as I did last year.
I have also shared my own excitement about the upcoming book signing-fundraiser event (happening next week!) for my book, Reverberations: A Daughter's Meditations on Alzheimer's.
Today I'm pleased to be able to pass on link to a site we all need, even if we don't yet know it. That place is AlzAuthors.com.
As their website says,
I would add this: If you currently don't fall into one of those categories--caregiver, family member, or person with dementia--you will. Sooner or later, dementia will touch all of our extended families. And we all have a lot to learn.
One reason I began taking the notes that formed the basis for the essays in my collection was that I couldn't find the information I needed anywhere. Even at the Alzheimer's Association (as it's known in the US), I couldn't get a sense of what lay ahead for my mother and my family.
This website fulfills that need.
A dementia diagnosis can be bewildering and embarrassing--it's hard for some of us to admit we need help of any kind, let alone for a brain illness, let alone for an illness involving cognitive decline.
It's hard to admit that your partner or parent, whom you respect and admire so much, is slipping.
It's hard to know what of the symptoms you see is the disease at work, what is the person's response to the disease, what can be managed, and how.
It's hard to talk to other people--people you don't know--about something so personal, something that may feel frightening and overwhelming.
This website will help you navigate the complex feelings that arise when dementia enters your life. It's low-risk--there's a lot of good information right on the site. They also recommend other resources--blogs and books and other online information.
A side note: if you're "reading women" this year, this site is a goldmine of memoirs. And if you're "reading Canadian," Cathie Borrie's book, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother, and Me is a great place to start.
In the coming months, my book will be included among those resources--a high honour. For all of us, this site is an excellent place to start learning. I highly recommend checking it out.
I have also shared my own excitement about the upcoming book signing-fundraiser event (happening next week!) for my book, Reverberations: A Daughter's Meditations on Alzheimer's.
Today I'm pleased to be able to pass on link to a site we all need, even if we don't yet know it. That place is AlzAuthors.com.
As their website says,
Whether you are a caregiver, family member or living with dementia,
you’ll find the help you need from decades of caregiving within
– memoirs, caregiver guides, novels, children’s books, and blogs –
plus the encouraging real-life experiences behind these works.
you’ll find the help you need from decades of caregiving within
– memoirs, caregiver guides, novels, children’s books, and blogs –
plus the encouraging real-life experiences behind these works.
I would add this: If you currently don't fall into one of those categories--caregiver, family member, or person with dementia--you will. Sooner or later, dementia will touch all of our extended families. And we all have a lot to learn.
One reason I began taking the notes that formed the basis for the essays in my collection was that I couldn't find the information I needed anywhere. Even at the Alzheimer's Association (as it's known in the US), I couldn't get a sense of what lay ahead for my mother and my family.
This website fulfills that need.
A dementia diagnosis can be bewildering and embarrassing--it's hard for some of us to admit we need help of any kind, let alone for a brain illness, let alone for an illness involving cognitive decline.
It's hard to admit that your partner or parent, whom you respect and admire so much, is slipping.
It's hard to know what of the symptoms you see is the disease at work, what is the person's response to the disease, what can be managed, and how.
It's hard to talk to other people--people you don't know--about something so personal, something that may feel frightening and overwhelming.
This website will help you navigate the complex feelings that arise when dementia enters your life. It's low-risk--there's a lot of good information right on the site. They also recommend other resources--blogs and books and other online information.
A side note: if you're "reading women" this year, this site is a goldmine of memoirs. And if you're "reading Canadian," Cathie Borrie's book, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother, and Me is a great place to start.
In the coming months, my book will be included among those resources--a high honour. For all of us, this site is an excellent place to start learning. I highly recommend checking it out.