I'm Still Here: Creating a better life for a loved one living with Alzheimer's

Description

The unfortunate popular perception is that when someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, they are immediately lost to themselves, to those who love them and to those they love. In I'M STILL HERE, John Zeisel shows how you can connect with someone through the fog of dementia and build a relationship with the person within. This groundbreaking book focuses on connecting with Alzheimer's sufferers through the abilities that don't diminish over the course of the disease, such as understanding music, art, facial expressions and touch. By harnessing these capacities, and by using other approaches to treatment, this book demonstrates how it is possible to offer sufferers a quality of life with a connection to others and to the world around them.

John Zeisel is president of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care and founder of the Hearthstone Way, an innovative and practical approach to the care of Alzheimer's sufferers. He developed the Artists for Alzheimer's program (ARTZ), which develops cultural experiences for Alzheimer's sufferers. He has a PhD in sociology from Columbia and has taught at Yale, Harvard and McGill.

A book that will give great hope and encouragement to anyone dealing with Alzheimer's sufferers either in a professional situation or at home - BOOKSELLER I'm Still Here offers a revolutionary yet pragmatic map for the compassionate care of people with cognitive impariments like Alzheimer's disease. John Zeisel's brilliant, soft-spoken, and heartwarming manifesto is a must read for anyone whose life involves helping someone with these special needs, a guide to new ways to connect to the person, not the disease - DANIEL GOLEMAN, author of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Just as the Alzheimer's 'perfect storm' is about to strike, wth an anticipated tripling of the number of people with the disease, comes a culture-changing book, I'M STILL HERE, with practical ways that enable families and professionals to look beyond the disease and then to find ways to emotionally connect with the person who is still there. This approach is truly and active treatment for dementia far more effective than any pill yet available - PAUL RAIA, PhD, Vice President, Patient Care and Family Support, Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Chapter John Zeisel understands the importance of living environments and their influence on the Alzheimer's patient. He displays compelling sesitivity to the patient as well as caregivers, and he explores in detail creative ways to enhance the patient's quality of life. I recommend thi sbook to anyone seeking a better understanding of this disease and its compassionate treatment, as well as the nurturing properties of thoughtfully and sensitively designed architecture - ROBERT H. SCHULLER, founding pastor, Crystal Cathedral Dr. Zeisel has provided a fresh approach to an old disease. By focusing on the assests and capabilities of the person with Alzheimer's, rather than the deficits and losses, he offers not only hope, but a renewed sense of the possibilities for continued connection and communication throughout the course of the disease. As science battles to eradicate the disease, Dr. Zeisel combines knowledge from the neurosciences and environmental sciences to support his practical, sound, and creative advice and apporaches for caregivers - CORNELIA BECK, PhD, RN, FAAN, Louise Hearne Chair in Dementia and Long-Term Care, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences