Caring for someone who has Alzheimer's or dementia is a hard job, but it's worth it. Many of the best ways to care for and communicate with people aren't easy to figure out, and they might even go against our instincts. You and your older loved one will both be more frustrated and stressed if you don't know how to do things that will help.

That's why it's so important to learn about yourself. To solve everyday problems and improve your quality of life, learn as much as you can about the disease.

 Taking care of someone who has Alzheimer's or dementia can be hard, but we've found 9 books that can help both new and longtime caregivers.They're praised and recommended by both experts and people who care for them.

must-read Alzheimer’s books for caregivers

These books help with practical care tasks, show how to deal with difficult dementia symptoms, give advice on how to deal with stress, give ideas for realistic and fun activities, and tell personal stories. They also explain how to care for someone with dementia.

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer’s Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss, 6th edition, by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins 

In many places, the 36-Hour Day is known as the "gold standard" book for families who are taking care of someone with Alzheimer's or dementia.

The guide is for people who care for people who have dementia and for the people who care for them. It has practical advice and information that can help people with dementia and the people who care for them deal with their own emotions and needs.

The most recent edition also has new information on:

devices that make it easier and safer for people with dementia to live their lives to the fullest

The following are ways to keep behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms from getting worse.

Changes in Medicare and other health care insurance laws have been made.

There are a lot of things that can help people who are dying, like palliative care, hospice care, durable power of attorney, and guardianship.

Having dementia because of a brain injury that was very bad

Choosing a residential care home

Groups for caregivers, friends, and family members to go to for help

"It was recommended to me by a neuropsychiatrist who was taking care of a family member." For people who have to deal with someone who has dementia, this is a good helper "It gives very good advice on what to expect, how to deal with it, and how to plan for the inevitable consequences of this disease."

"I bought this book about 23 years ago when I was taking care of my mother, who had dementia." It was a huge help to me. My niece is now taking care of another relative who has dementia, so I bought her the new version and one for myself. It's very, very useful.

Helpful if you start to see signs of dementia in a family member who you love. Also, it helps families understand what they will have to deal with as a family, how it can put a lot of stress on families, and how to deal with it. When I think about it, that's what's been the most helpful for me. Also, I know that the behavior isn't on purpose or something the person can control, so I can be ready to not take it personally or react too quickly. "I'm glad my family found this."

Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease, by Joanne Koenig Coste

In her book, Joanne Koenig Coste talks about how to make sure both the person with dementia and their caregiver are happy.

She tries to connect with people with dementia in their own reality and work on improving communication, which has worked for a lot of people with dementia.

This book also has a lot of practical advice, like how to:

Cope with the diagnosis and get used to how the disease progresses.

Help the person talk about their illness.

Face the fact that you can't drive.

Make your meals and baths as pleasant as possible.

In order to make the patient more comfortable, you should change how the room looks.

Wandering, paranoia, and aggression need to be dealt with.

A lot of people who care for people with Alzheimer's say this in Amazon reviews: "This is a great resource for all stages." I appreciate the "to the point" talk and advice, and I feel much better about how to deal with the challenges of being a caregiver now that I've read this book.

"It was written by someone who has been a caregiver and knows what it's like." So many practical tips: "She gives so many ideas for making life easier for both the caregiver and the person with dementia."

"This is a great book to help you understand how to care for someone who has dementia." I think it's great. It is eye-opening and very important to know how to help and interact with someone who has dementia. Those who care for or are close to someone with dementia will be able to have a far more rewarding relationship with them. Definitely, I think this helps me and my sisters improve the quality of our dad's life.

Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer’s Journey: A Guide for Families and Caregivers, 5th edition, by Jolene Brackey 

Jolene Brackey wants us to focus on making people happy in small ways that make them smile or light up their eyes. There is a good chance they will not remember what we said or did, but they will still be happy because of how we made them feel.

There is even more practical advice in the new edition of this book, which is also filled with a lot of hope and laughter.

"Good book for caregivers and families of people with Alzheimer's. It's a good read." Because the book has questions and scenarios, you can quickly read about different things that happen every day, which are right for our family.

When I was about to cry, this book made me laugh out loud. I am the person who takes care of my mom the most. I have two sisters who help out as much as they can. I've been able to make everyone happy by reading this. Author: I'm the crazy caregiver the author wants us to be. Mom will laugh at anything you say or do. let go of my inhibitions; I let go of the idea that I know what Mom should do or what she should eat or wear.

It was a good book. It helped me do things with my mom that made her happy. Thank you for reading this and using some of the ideas in it. I am so happy that she had a good time in her last months. She was angry and depressed about her dementia, but the ideas in this book made her forget about it, even for a short time.

Surviving Alzheimer’s: Practical tips and soul-saving wisdom for caregivers, by Paula Spencer Scott

Family caregivers need to know how to help their loved one with dementia without giving up their own needs. In her book, Paula Spencer Scott talks about this.

This book has:

The best and most up-to-date ideas on how to improve quality of life and safety while reducing stress for everyone involved.

It's called the "Why This, Try This" method, and it helps you figure out what's going on with your behavior and what you can do about it.

How to get rid of resentment, guilt, anger, and family fights in the family.

A team of top dementia-care experts from geriatrics, psychiatry, social work, law, dementia therapy, and caregiver advocacy shared their best advice for how to help people with dementia.

Family stories and ideas from real people

For caregivers who don't have a lot of time, this is a quick, scannable format that's ideal.

"An excellent and very useful book for anyone who has to care for someone with dementia," caregivers say in Amazon reviews. To make our father's life better as he gets sick with this horrible disease, it has helped me and my sisters do what we can. It has also helped us improve the quality of our interactions with him. We've learned how to communicate with him better and how to keep him interested and focused as much as we can. Aww, this is so cool!

Saved me so much stress and helped me figure out things I didn't know my mother was going through. This book has been great." You learn how to speak with them.

Thoughtful Dementia Care: Understanding the Dementia Experience, by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller

Jennifer Ghent-Fuller talks about how people lose different types of memory and other thinking processes, and how that affects their daily lives and how they see the world around them.

She also gives practical advice based on how people with dementia think about everyday situations and real-life experiences. These ideas help make the explanations clearer and more interesting.

 

In Amazon reviews, caregivers are telling other caregivers to read this book. The people who don't live with your loved one will be able to figure out why they seem to be fine on the phone when you know that they aren't. Make a new plan, and you'll be less stressed. It's also easy to read.

Before reading this book, I didn't know what my father was thinking or why I was so stressed out." I think it's great for people who have relatives with dementia or who, like me, have been thrust into the role of caregiver for a parent with Alzheimer's.

"Simple and to the point, with a lot of great ideas." Seeing my problems in this book made me feel like I was not alone and that I did a good job even though it was hard. The author shows you how to look at things from the patient's point of view, which leads to new ways of solving problems that were previously difficult to solve.

---