I have two new books to review, and I think they're good ones. Because I know so many of you don't have much time to read and gather information, I will gladly throw myself on the grenade and read for you(and not just because I love to read)!
Living With Lewy's: Empowering Today's Caregiver. Amy J. Throop and Gerald S. Throop.
We all know that I love the Whitworth's LBD guide for it's plain-speaking and information, but I think this one comes in a close second. It is not really a memoir, although it has some personal narrative and descriptions in it to illustrate what they are talking about. Living With Lewy's is incredibly comprehensive, and very well-organized; if you don't have much time to read the whole book but need information quickly, you can turn to the section you need easily. The information is straightforward and can be easily distilled to doctors, family members, friends, etc. It is encapsulated and easy to understand, with clear explanations and resources. It's a great resource to keep on hand for quick referrals or to give to people newly experiencing the joys of LBD and caregiving. ****!
Caring For Mother. Virginia Stem Owens.
This is pretty much strictly a memoir, without any of the references and resources that many caregiving/dementia books have. That said, I thought it was a lovely book, well-written and thought out, and it really conveys how disruptive to one's own, established, life, it can be to have to take on caregiving duties. The author is in her sixties, around the time one would expect one's parents to start failing, yet she is still somewhat in denial of her parent's age and condition - as we all can be - and it takes her a while to accept what is happening, both to her parents, and to herself. It is obvious that Owens is a religious person, yet she manages not to overly-impose her belief systems on the book, infusing it instead with the more organic spirituality of family love and awareness and acceptance of loss and mortality. It is a gently-paced memoir, and she really describes accurately the experience of living with institutional care and the difficult, almost impossible, choices we are often faced with when it comes to getting care for our loved one. ***!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with Joy's evaluation of Troop's book. We considered it our only competition at the time we published ours. I only wish it was available on Amazon. We'd have it in our LBD Book Corner if it was. Helen www.lbdtools.com
ReplyDelete