My wife has dementia | |
A funny thing happened on the way to the nursing home. A different handbook for dementia patients. 2nd edition. John Connor. Ourimbah, NSW: BookBound 1998 (ix + 75 pp.). ISBN: 1 876231 18 1. |
This short, funny and sad book is a series of snapshots rather than a handbook as such. It describes, with a mixture of humour and pathos, some of the experiences of caring for a spouse with dementia, and in so doing imparts practical and useful advice. It is one person's view of how to manage an increasingly common problem, and explains why a sense of humour, and indeed a sense of the ridiculous, are very necessary attributes for surviving the caring process. The author was able to devote himself to caring for his wife at home until her death, so the nursing home in the title was never reached. This is far from the common experience, but was made possible by his own determination and capabilities, and the amazing support he received from family, the Alzheimers Association support group, and community services. The author's methods of managing his wife's difficult behaviour are excellent examples of lateral quick thinking. Dealing with an imagined visit from a duchess at 2 am, or the urgent need to plant a tree in the middle of the dining room floor, requires a good imagination and fast footwork. For general practitioners with a number of older patients, this is a good little book to read and then have on the bookshelf in your surgery for lending to carers. For geriatricians it contains some useful ideas for dealing with some of the more difficult behaviours associated with the dementing process. Although aimed primarily at the lay reader, it contains a lot of useful, and at times entertaining, material for the medical profession. Susan E Kurrle
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