Few families are untouched by Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Moving accounts of what it is like to care for someone with this disease have already been published, as well as how-to books that offer caregivers advice and information on coping. But this book is the first to provide a comprehensive report of what it is like to have dementia oneself-the subjective experience of living with progressive memory loss. Each chapter discusses a different aspect of having dementia, from the initial assessment and diagnosis through placement in a nursing home. The discussions are grounded in qualitative research and case studies, which convey the variable and personal nature of the experience. They seek to help clinicians, researchers, students, and caregivers (both professionals and family members) understand the experience of dementia, and thereby to promote better caregiving through a person-centered approach. Contributors: Kathleen Kahn-Denis, Judson Retirement Community; Casey Durkin, a psychotherapist in Cleveland, Ohio; Jane Gilliard, Dementia Voice, UK; Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Carroll University; John Keady, University of Wales, UK; John Killick, University of Stirling, UK; Rebecca G. Logsdon, University of Washington; Charlie Murphy, University of Stirling, UK; Alison Phinney, University of British Columbia, Canada; Steven R. Sabat, Georgetown University; Dorothy Seman, Alzheimer's Family Care Center, Chicago; Lisa Snyder, University of California, San Diego; Jane Stansell, Alzheimer's Family Care Center, Chicago; Gloria Sterin, Shaker Heights, Ohio; Jon C. Stuckey, Messiah College; Robyn Yale, Consultant to the Alzheimer's Association, San Francisco; Rosalie Young, Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Drawing on contributions from researchers and clinicians who have gathered information from a wide variety of sources, this book presents the day-to-day experience of living with dementia in the words of the people themselves. The book's originality lies in the evidence it brings to bear on the active and able manner in which people with dementia live with the condition. There are no comparable books published in this area. This will be a key text in dementia studies. -- Murna Downs, University of Bradford This book is essential reading for everyone providing care. It moves beyond negative stereotypes to explore the richness and complexity of personhood with dementia. -- Nancy L. Maceco-, author of The 36-Hour Day

About the Author
Phyllis Braudy Harris is a professor in the Department of Sociology and director of the Aging Studies Program at John Carroll University. She is co-editor of Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice.

Reviews
This is an amazing book! I was greatly moved by the very personal and intimate accounts of the difficulties and challenges presented by progressive memory loss. This book is critical for people newly diagnosed and their family and friends, and all of us who provide care to these families. -- Marquis D. ForemanPhDRN Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Five Star Review Harris has assembled in The Person with Alzheimer's Disease a collection of contributions rich in their insights about the lived experience of persons with AD... [It] compels us to focus on potential contributions, on the persistence of selfhood and human agency, and on how the voices of those with AD can teach us powerful and important lessons. -- Stephen J. CutlerPhD American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias If, like me, you believe that Alzheimer's is an illness people can live with rather than being a condition they die from, then this is the book for you. It has the potential to influence and change the experience of care by influencing and changing the practice of those who read it, who hear the voices of those involved with it and who reflect on the lessons which may be learned. -- Sean Page International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry This book values persons with dementia as contributing to expanding knowledge about dementia and about the meaning of living with dementia while, at the same time, it challenges the assumption that persons with dementia are empty shells and burdens to society... This book is essential reading for all health care providers and care partners who care for persons living with dementia throughout the entire journey, from diagnosis to receiving formal services. Educators, researchers, policy makers, and AD society staff and executive would also benefit greatly from reading this book... I believe this in-depth examination is important, since newer and deeper understandings of dementia, through the eyes of a person living with dementia, can transform practice and lift stigmas... This book provides an important contribution to the dementia literature, as it enriches our understanding of dementia from the perspective of the 'experts'-persons living with dementia. -- Christine Jonas-Simpson Canadian Journal on Aging It is a celebration of the spirit and the strengths of ordinary people who are faced with the challenges of AD (Alzeimher's disease) and other dementias. Ageing and Society 2003



Book Information
ISBN 9780801868771
Author Phyllis Braudy Harris
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 431g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 18mm