The cost of caring for a loved one with Dementia represents a substantial financial burden on society, one that is similar to the financial burden of heart disease and cancer, says a new study released last week and funded by the National Institute on Aging.
?Money is just part of the true cost,? says Elaine Pereira who cared for her aging mother who suffered from Dementia.
?Caring for a loved one who no longer knows who you are can be overwhelming and heartbreaking,? says Pereira, ?It?s a seemingly never-ending emotional journey of ups and downs for all involved in the caring of someone stricken with dementia. The financial cost is significant no doubt but the emotional toll it takes on family and caregivers can sometimes be debilitating in itself, and cannot begin to be measured in terms of money.?
Pereira discusses her experiences in her newly-released book
I Will Never Forget: A Daughter?s Story of Her Mother?s Arduous and Humorous Journey through Dementia (ISBN 978-1-4759-0690-5, 2012, iUniverse, Paperback $20.95, Hardcover $30.95, Kindle $3.95, 274 pages available on Amazon or
http://www.IWillNeverForgetBook.com I Will Never Forget is a powerful true story of the author's talented mother, Betty, and her poignant and sometimes humorous journey through
dementia. As their mother-daughter relationship evolves, Elaine copes with her mom's uncharacteristic verbal assaults and watches as her brilliant mind is slowly destroyed by dementia's insatiable appetite for brain cells.
In this moving account, Pereira (pronounced purr-rare-a), shares warm and humorous incidents as well as tragic and overwhelming encounters from the death of her father, sister-in-law, brother and her mother?s journey through a new world after her familiar world fades from her memory.
?This is a true story which validates the incredible events that happened in my mother?s life,? says Pereira, a retired occupational therapist. ?From writing nine checks to the same payee, on five consecutive days, and later on the Great Houdini Escape when she nearly froze to death, Mom?s journey through bewildering dementia is real. As Mark Twain said, the truth is indeed stranger than fiction.?
I Will Never Forget not only has educational and therapeutic value but is a journal full of insights that will provide helpful assistance and tips to other caregivers of dementia patients. ?I want newly-commissioned caregivers to learn from my unwitting mistakes, to realize that reasoning and logic are rarely helpful dialogue techniques with a dementia patient,? explains the author. ?That approach is confrontational and often creates agitation and a fear response in someone. Redirection, rephrasing, waiting and patience are the most helpful response strategies to diffuse potentially hostile situations.?
During the yearlong writing process, Pereira was able to put the troubling incidents in her mother?s final years in perspective. ?The little problems faded away and the core of her wonderful life surfaced for me. That is how I want to remember her, as she was in my eyes as a child.?
Pereira?s book was named a finalist in the Best New Non-Fiction category of the 2012 USA Book Award and was an honorable mention finalist in non-fiction in the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival and was bestowed a ?Rising Star? and ?Editor?s Choice award by iUniverse.
Says one reviewer, ?The author has given readers incredible insight into the insidious nature of dementia?a disease that robs us of our parents. Most importantly she has taken readers on her own journey down the road of dementia with a beloved parent offering sound advice to caregivers.?
About the Author
Elaine Pereira was a school occupational therapist for more than 35 years before retiring in June 2010. When she isn?t writing, Elaine enjoys golf, gardening, cooking and exploring new restaurants with unique culinary options. A native of Kalamazoo, she now lives in New Boston, Michigan with her husband and loveable pets. Pereira earned a BS in Occupational Therapy and an MA in Family and Consumer Resources from Wayne State University.
About the Study
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01AG030155). The Health and Retirement Study is conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, with grants from the National Institute on Aging (U01 AG09740) and the Social Security Administration. For more information visit:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1204629 Media Contact: For a review copy of I Will Never Forget, or to schedule an interview with Elaine Pereira, please contact Scott Lorenz, President of Westwind Communications
Book Marketing 734-667-2090, or scottlorenz at westwindcos.com or
http://www.book-marketing-expert.com