Synopses & Reviews
Joanne Koenig Coste, now a renowned pioneer in implementing positive methods of caring for Alzheimer's patients, began to develop her groundbreaking approach when her middle-aged husband was diagnosed with progressive dementia shortly after the birth of her fourth child. As she struggled to care for him and their family, she recognized that it was possible to avoid some of the tremendous emotional burdens Alzheimer's patients and their care providers endure during the course of the disease. In this book Koenig Coste explains the five tenets of her "habilitation" approach, an accessible and comprehensive plan proven to have worked with thousands of patients and care providers.
Refuting long-accepted ideas, she calls for care "partners" to join patients in their current sense of place or time; to encourage patients to use their remaining skills to support their sense of independence and dignity; and, most of all, to continue communicating with patients by focusing on their emotional "language."
Learning to Speak Alzheimer's also offers hundreds of practical tips to ease life for everyone involved with Alzheimer's, including how to
- cope with the diagnosis and figure out if the patient wants to discuss it
- respectfully stop the person from driving
- make meal and bath times as pleasant as possible
- adjust room design and lighting for the patient's comfort
- deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression
- establish a plan of care
Learning to Speak Alzheimer's revolutionizes the way we perceive and deal with Alzheimer's disease.
Review
"A fine addition to Alzheimer's and caregiving collections."
Review
"A fine addition to Alzheimer's and caregiving collections." Library Journal Starred
"A true Godsend to anyone caring for those afflicted with dementia." -- Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi, author of DECODING DARKNESS
Synopsis
The word Alzheimer"s has long suggested a tremendous emotional burden for patients and those caring for them. That does not need to be so, however. In Learning to Speak Alzheimer"s, the nationally acclaimed expert Joanne Koenig Coste offers a groundbreaking approach to dealing with the disease so that both parties thrive. In a friendly, knowledgeable style, she offers five tenets in what she calls the "habilitation" approach to caring for people with progressive dementia.
Besides outlining her habilitation philosophy, Koenig Coste offers hundreds of practical tips: offer foods to eat with fingers instead of utensils; eliminate bathroom mirrors if a patient wants privacy but believes the mirror image is that of a stranger; adjust lighting to eliminate shadows that may scare the patient.
Koenig Coste developed her approach after her middle-aged husband developed progressive dementia. For thirty years she has refined the technique by working with thousands of patients and care partners. Although her platform is now national, Koenig Coste continues working at the all-important grassroots level.
Learning to Speak Alzheimer"s will transform the way we
perceive and live with this disease, which afflicts four million Americans and more than twenty million of their family members and friends.
Synopsis
Joanne Koenig Coste, now a renowned pioneer in implementing positive methods of caring for Alzheimer's patients, began to develop her groundbreaking approach when her middle-aged husband was diagnosed with progressive dementia shortly after the birth of her fourth child. As she struggled to care for him and their family, she recognized that it was possible to avoid some of the tremendous emotional burdens Alzheimer's patients and their care providers endure during the course of the disease. In this book Koenig Coste explains the five tenets of her "habilitation" approach, an accessible and comprehensive plan proven to have worked with thousands of patients and care providers.
Refuting long-accepted ideas, she calls for care "partners" to join patients in their current sense of place or time; to encourage patients to use their remaining skills to support their sense of independence and dignity; and, most of all, to continue communicating with patients by focusing on their emotional "language." Learning to Speak Alzheimer's also offers hundreds of practical tips to ease life for everyone involved with Alzheimer's, including how to
- cope with the diagnosis and figure out if the patient wants to discuss it - respectfully stop the person from driving - make meal and bath times as pleasant as possible - adjust room design and lighting for the patient's comfort - deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression - establish a plan of care
Learning to Speak Alzheimer's revolutionizes the way we perceive and deal with Alzheimer's disease.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [212]-228) and index.
Synopsis
More than four million Americans suffer from Alzheimers, and as many as twenty million have close relatives or friends with the disease. Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimers, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between carepartners and patients and has proven successful with thousands of people living with dementia. Learning to Speak Alzheimers also offers hundreds of practical tips, including how to · cope with the diagnosis and adjust to the diseases progression · help the patient talk about the illness · face the issue of driving · make meals and bath times as pleasant as possible · adjust room design for the patients comfort · deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression
About the Author
Joanne Koenig Coste, a nationally recognized expert and an outspoken advocate for patient and family care, is a board member of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Currently in private practice as an Alzheimer's family therapist, Koenig Coste also serves as president of Alzheimer's Consulting Associates. She lectures around the country and is the recipient of a National Award for Health Heroes from Reader's Digest. She was named a "Woman to Watch in the 21st Century" by NBC Nightly News
Table of Contents
Contents Foreword by Robert N. Butler, M.D. xi Part One Learning about Alzheimer’s 1. The Ticking Meter 3 2. Seeking a Correct Diagnosis 13 3. What to Expect: Making the First Decisions 20 4. Habilitation, the New Approach 32 5. Seeing the World from the Patient’s Perspective 48 Part Two The Five Tenets of Habilitation 6. Tenet #1: Make the Physical Environment Work 61 7. Tenet #2: Know That Communication Remains Possible 77 8. Tenet #3: Focus on Remaining Skills 85 9. Tenet #4: Live in the Patient’s World: Behavioral Changes 108 10. Tenet #5: Enrich the Patient’s Life 127 Part Three Beyond Habilitation 11. Caring for the Care Partner 149 12. Receiving Home Care 163 13. Receiving Care Outside of a Family Home 176 14. Inspiration 193 Glossary 203 Appendix: Good Food for People with Alzheimer’s 206 Further Resources 212 Index 229