UNTIL YOU'RE IN IT: Dementia Care Real Stories and Expert Guidance for Caregivers

No one tells you what dementia caregiving is actually like."Easily the single most compassionate, compact, constructive, and complete guide to living with Alzheimer's for everyone involved. Led by Dr. Robbins' deep insights and experience, it's a beautiful Master Class in what to know and do."-Paula Spencer Scott, author of Surviving Alzheimer'sThe repeated questions. Being mistaken for a stranger by someone who raised you. Deciding when it's no longer safe for them to drive, or live alone, or be left for an afternoon. Grieving the loss of a person who is still here.Dementia rarely shows up all at once. It's a forgotten conversation. A moment that doesn't add up. A flash of temper that isn't like him. One at a time, they don't mean much. Add them up, and they do.Until You're In It pairs renowned psychiatrist and internist Dr. Kenneth Robbins' decades of experience and clinical knowledge of dementia with real stories from caregivers who lived it. Most books out there give you one or the other. This one gives you both: what's happening medically, and what it actually feels like to go through it.Inside, you'll find: - The types and stages of dementia, and what to expect with each one- Early signs families often miss or explain away- How to get through diagnosis, medical appointments, and the difficult conversations that come after- Practical guidance for managing anxiety, hallucinations, sleep problems, safety concerns, and emotional outbursts- How to think through memory care, legal planning, and end-of-life decisions- Caregivers' own accounts of what this really feels like, day-to-dayThere's no right way to do this. There's just doing it."...Ultimately this is a book about kindness from experts who have been 'in it.' A must-read for caregivers, family members, and really anyone facing dementia."-Thomas R. Insel, MD, Former Director of the National Institute of Mental HealthIf dementia has touched someone you love, this book will tell you what's coming, what to do about it, and what other caregivers wish they'd known sooner.