Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's: An Emotional Journey

This realistic, compassionate program acknowledges the many difficulties experienced by those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease, a condition that leads to considerable grieving—due to the catastrophic loss of memory—before the afflicted actually die. But fearing the oncoming grief is also in itself debilitating, says therapist Joanne Koenig Coste, author of a book on the subject and one of several experts speaking here. For care providers and victims alike, leaving behind a familiar life is very hard and can breed resentment that is sometimes compounded by a lack of support from other family members, along with the general high stress of the situation. Not every aspect of the experience is entirely negative, however: former CBS radio anchor Mary Ellen Geist, who left her job to care for her father, says that while it is terrible when an Alzheimer's parent forgets an offspring's identity, an opportunity also opens up to reintroduce that mother or father to one's successes and accomplishments. Also featuring useful insights from members of a support group, as well as the poignant observations of a wife caring for her husband, this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)