Meet Susan Elkin, Author of the Spouse Caregiver Memoir, The Alzheimer's Diaries

If you are a spouse/caregiver, you'll certainly want to add this book to your caregiving collection by Susan Elkin. She is a British former teacher of secondary school English from South London who has been writing professionally since 1990: journalism for newspapers, magazines and websites and over 50 books. So when her husband, Nick was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017, blogging about it came naturally. Those blogs, which ran until Nick’s death in 2019, are now compiled into her new book, The Alzheimer’s Diaries.

Susan writes:

Could, or should, I write about this “journey” that Ms Alzheimer’s had forced on us? Well, obviously, not without Nick’s permission. He was a quiet, quite private man so I expected him to give me an unequivocal no. To my amazement he said: “Yes, why not? When we meet people out it’s going to be much easier for me if everyone knows because they’ll make allowances – and maybe going public will help others.” 

Read Susan's post

Amazing Children's Book by Dr. Julissa Cruz from the Netherlands written in English, Dutch and Spanish

 

AlzAuthors Most Recent Author

Julissa Cruz Gomez is a Dominican doctor who lives and works in the Netherlands. In her vividly colorful book she takes children on a journey through the brain's pathways.

Julissa writes:

In this story, my niece, along with her cousin, a cat and a dog, undertake a wonderful journey to their grandmother's brain to understand what is happening there. There they meet Mr. Hippocampus and see the neurons up close. It is a beautiful story where children learn that love, patience and empathy is what their grandparents with cognitive problems need the most. 

Read more about Julissa here!

Enjoy This Unique Illustrated Caregiver Guide by Gina Awad

Gina Awad, from Exeter, UK, along with her illustrator, Tony Husband, has written a unique, illustrated guide to dementia care, focusing on six families of diverse backgrounds through her new book, United Caring For Our Loved Ones.

Gina says:

On deeper reflection I recalled my early childhood experiences visiting care homes with my grandmother who partook in creative arts with the residents. As an 8 year old and over 4 decades earlier I remembered not the residents engaging with the arts but those that weren’t. Being a little girl my emotions were stirred and I felt a sense of isolation, fear and vulnerability coming from the residents who I now know were living with advanced dementia. I believe these strong emotions and my naturally empathic nature connected all those years ago with the people, and my study ignited them. This was the catalyst in my mission and sits at the heart of what I do and why I do it.

Click here to read Gina's essay on AlzAuthors.

Scott Rose

Introducing Scott M. Rose and His Beautiful Memoir, 

We Danced; Our Story Of Love and Dementia

Have you seen this gorgeous book? I was captivated by the beauty of the cover. Scott Rose pours his spouse caregiver story out in We Danced: Our Story of Love and Dementia.

Scott writes:

I watched all the things that we built start to fade as things do, but saw our love remain – the most important aspect of our life together. Despite communication barriers and behavioral crashes, we sustained that love till, and through, her last breath, with me weeping at her bedside.

Read Scott's entire post on AlzAuthors.com:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/05/24/scott-rose-we-danced-love-and-alzheimers/

Introducing Lisa Graff and her book for teens, Up In the Sky So Blue

I recently posted this meme to social media with this wording: "Visiting an elderly loved one may be uncomfortable, but it brings them so much momentary joy. Do what is hard. Visit anyway."

I received these comments from our authors:

"Visiting loved ones is such an act of love. Even if they don't remember the visit, they will remember how loved you made them feel." and "Just do it!"

We've all been there. We've dreaded the visit to elderly parents. But this is why we do what we do at AlzAuthors. We make the uncomfortable more comfortable. We support those currently on the journey to let them know they are not alone.

Thank you for your support of AlzAuthors now and always as we mark our 7th anniversary. Who ever would have thought we'd still be working on this passion project. We fill a need in so many...a thirst for knowledge and a hand to hold through the darkness of a caregiving journey.

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Introducing Lisa Graff

Don't you love the cover of this book? It evokes so many childhood memories but reveals neither happiness nor sadness. You have to read the book to learn the story of 5th grader, Marissa, and her Grammy.

Lisa writes:

Knowing how painful this was for my mother, what if a child had to deal with an elderly parent or grandparent who was experiencing memory loss? Who would help? If she had no other family, would a stranger come to her rescue?

Up in the Sky So Blue became a children’s novel (and an adult novel) about Alzheimer’s, friendships and love. My descriptions of a fantasy world serve as a reminder that everyone needs self-care and deserves to enjoy life.

Read the rest of Lisa's post:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/06/07/lisa-graff-up-in-the-sky-so-blue/

Retweet our announcement of Lisa's post:

https://twitter.com/AlzAuthors/status/1534253550578110465

Dominick Domasky Pens Memoir, My Name Is Sharon, About His Mother

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Introducing our newest AlzAuthor!

In My Name is Sharon, Dominick Domasky's touching memoir of his mother he writes:

How was I supposed to know that the world would stop, and a global pandemic would settle in? I started writing this book cathartically, never expecting it to be read by others. I was chronicling our family’s struggle and documenting the pain. Then I had an epiphany, Sharon Domasky is more than a victim of disease. I realized as a storyteller it was my duty to try and share her light with the world.

Read the entire post:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/05/11/dominick-domasky-my-name-is-sharon/ 

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Last Thursday I had the honor of presenting a Custom Caregiver Collection to the Alzheimer's Association support group at Soprema Senior Center in Wadsworth, Ohio. Thank you to all who believe so deeply in this project.

For years we've wanted to find a way to get physical books into the hands of those who need them: caregivers and others concerned with dementia. With our tiny team of volunteers this seemed like a long shot. But our dream is coming true! We are now offering

real books

to real people

in real places

through Custom Caregiver Collections

Patti Davis Pens Heartfelt Memoir/Caregiver Guide, Floating In The Deep End

This week AlzAuthors features a beautifully heartfelt memoir by Patti Davis, Floating in the Deep End, written from her experience with her father, President Ronald Reagan, as he declined from Alzheimer's at the end of his life.

Patti writes:

On a blue-sky November day in 1994 I walked into Central Park, which was near my apartment in New York. My mother had just called to tell me that my father was going to release a letter disclosing to the world that he had Alzheimer’s. I had only learned of the diagnosis days earlier. Days before that I had walked in the park weighed down by despair and hopelessness; everything in my life was going wrong, I was completely alone, tired down to my soul, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on living. Then I learned that my father had Alzheimer’s, a disease that everyone was aware of but no one was talking about. That could have been the thing that pushed me over the edge, but instead it pulled me back from the edge. It gave me something bigger than myself to focus on. I wanted to show up for this journey, whatever it was going to be. I wanted to be there for my father.

Read the entire post:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/04/26/patti-davis-floating-in-the-deep-end/