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When Wally Hall of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote the story about Barbara’s illness in 2001, caregivers from all over the State wrote and called me about the difficulty they were having in taking care of their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. National Research tells us that only one of ten caregivers has any type of instruction or information to help them combat the challenges with the many behavioral patterns of a person who is dealing with loss of memory.
After Barbara died, I was determined to provide the people of Arkansas with practical guide of instructions that would help prepare every caregiver for what they are going to face in each stage of the illness, particularly for the challenges of the middle and latter stages of Alzheimer’s.
Fortunately, we were able to form an All-American team to gather information and compose the content in an easily understandable format that would help each caregiver in Arkansas. The team consists of the staff at the UAMS Center on Aging in Little Rock (one of the top five in the country), the Alzheimer’s Association staff members, the senior staff at Beverly Enterprises (largest nursing home company in the U.S.), focus groups of caregivers throughout the State, and my family. We worked on the book for eight months with a conference call weekly to keep the project moving forward.
Caregivers and healthcare professionals who have used the playbook are overwhelmingly grateful to have the instructional guide to help them. I receive calls, letters, and personal contact responses from caregivers everywhere I go, expressing their appreciation. I honestly believe that a book for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients has the most immediate and true benefit and value to the patient of anything that could be done—other than finding a cure! We were desperate for knowledge of how to care for Barbara. I know that I would have driven to California to find one book that would have helped us.
Now the word is out from those in Arkansas who have used the playbook, and we are getting requests from all over the country from caregivers and healthcare professionals who are seeking copies. Since there are over 5 million Alzheimer’s victims in this country (of which 60% are cared for at home), we feel we need to get this book to their over 10 million caregivers as well as to the majority of nursing homes around the country. My optimistic goal would be to have 5 million books printed for the families and agencies that are coping with this disease.
Coach, Betsy, and Molly Speaking in San Diego
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