Living Your Best With Early-Stage Alzheimer's: Book Review

There are plenty of books for Alzheimer’s caregivers.  Most of those books feature advice from professionals.  But with an aging population and the trend towards early diagnosis, the number of people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s is growing.  Many can and do read, but there are few books for them, and even fewer books featuring advice from other people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Lisa Snyder, MSW, LCSW

Lisa Snyder’s book, Living Your Best With Early-Stage Alzheimer's: An Essential Guide, goes a long way towards filling that gap.  The book addresses the medical, emotional, practical and legal questions people with memory loss have when they are first diagnosed.   These questions are not likely to be answered in a brief doctor’s visit.  The book is especially useful for patients who don’t have access to a memory disorders clinic that offers support and counseling.

Some of my friends with dementia say they felt their lives had ended when they were diagnosed -- it took a long time for them to focus on what they still can do and enjoy life.  Woven into each chapter of the book are quotes and advice from people with Alzheimer’s whom Lisa met through her work as a clinical social worker and Director of Quality of Life Programs at the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego.  Without glossing over difficulties, these quotes provide reassurance that life with Alzheimer’s is still worth living.

The focus of Alzheimer’s research is shifting from treatment to prevention.  This is important work, but doesn’t help the millions of people already living with dementia.  It’s equally important to increase their quality of life, and Living Your Best with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s is a valuable contribution to this effort.