Dasha Kiper has a background in clinical psychology and has worked with dementia patients and their caregivers for over ten years, including a year she lived with and cared for an Alzheimer's patient. Her book offers much discussion about the difficulties caring for a patient with dementia. Part of the problem is that patients don't always seem irrational, so we find ourselves thinking that they may not have dementia, and that they still have self-awareness and the ability to remember, which unfortunately isn't the case. In fact, Kiper tells us that the caretaker often begins to act irrational as well, forgetting that the dementia patient has forgotten so much. There are several case histories, which help show how difficult life is for both the patients and their caregivers. This book is well-written and well-documented, and it deserves a second reading.
I first heard of this book when Kiper was interviewed on NPR's program The Takeaway. I highly recommend this book for those who have a dementia patient in their life.
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