I had heard that The 36-Hour Day is the Alzheimer's caregivers bible, and I can see why. Having read other books on the subject, I'd say The 36-Hour Day is a more complete reference guide, helpful in many different stages of caregiving. Chapter titles are Dementia, Getting Medical Help for the Person with Dementia, Characteristic Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia, Problems in Independent Living, Problems Arising in Daily Care, Medical Problems, Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia, Symptoms That Appear as Changes in Mood, Special Arrangements If You Become Ill, Getting Outside Help, You and the Person with Dementia as Part of a Family, How Caring for a Person with Dementia Affects You, Caring for Yourself, For Children and Teenagers, Financial and Legal Issues, Nursing Homes and Other Living Arrangements, Brain Disorders and the Causes of Dementia, Research in Dementia. My copy is 306 pages.

Because of my family's situation, the chapters that helped me most at this time were on daily care and medical issues. When these chapters described some issues my dad has, I was able to recognize the symptoms as being connected to the dementia. When these chapters gave suggestions for dealing with arguments and providing recreation, I was enlightened and given hope for more ways to make my dad's last days more enjoyable. The chapters on caregivers' emotions are supportive. I have trouble feeling guilty that I'm not doing more, so reminders that caregivers need respite cannot come too often.

I recommend buying this book and keeping it handy. Read it, but make a point to page through it at least once a month to see what info might refresh you in that moment.

Decided to finally mark this as read although I haven't technically finished it. This is kind of a bible, one of the ultimate references for people who love and care for individuals with dementia. If you're a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's or other type of dementia, this is likely among the biggest challenges you'll ever experience in your life - perhaps the biggest overall. It is cruel, devastating, frustrating, at times soul crushing, and often requires you to forget everything you know, because you just can't reason your way through the experience. I'm at over 7 years since diagnosis for my loved one and can tell you that I'm constantly adjusting, learning, and being challenged beyond anything I ever imagined.
This book is filled with tons of information and ideas for how to respond to and understand what is happening. I learned a lot about the various types of dementia, ways to try to comprehend what the person with the dementia is experiencing. I highly recommend. As a resource, a physical book that you can flip through, and note in will likely be most effective. In addition to this book, be sure to look up Teepa Snow. She has videos on YouTube that will be among the best resources you will find.

Good God, this disease is depressing. Written primarily to assist caregivers, for the family of someone diagnosed with dementia this book is more terrifying than anything written by horror master Stephen King.

However, the book is extremely informative, in-depth, and immeasurably helpful. The final chapter, in which possible causes and future cures (spoiler alert: they have NOTHING effective to fight Alzheimers, one of the reasons the disease leaves anyone affected by the disease feeling helpless in its wake) is long, dull, and technical and can be skipped by those without a compulsion to read every last page. Otherwise, a must-read for those who must deal with this soul-crushing sickness.

A little hard to read some parts, not because of the information or style of writing, but because I'm living the things described. However, this is the best all-in-one resource I've found that answers as many questions as anything can about an unpredictable disease that follows no rules. Definitely worth the read regardless of the stage your loved one happens to be in, and I also highly recommend it for other family members and friends who are not direct caregivers so they can at least begin to understand what the primary caregiver goes through.

después de leer esto, todo me hace sentido con mi abuela.

Care giving for a loved one with dementia? This is the book you need. I've read around a dozen books on the subject since my wife and I started caregiving for a loved one last year. This is the book I keep going back to. Covering both the disease and the person affected by it as well as the challenges the care giver will face, this book explains the subject for me better than anything else I have read.

A great resource for people whose lives are affected by dementia. Caregivers especially will benefit from its thorough treatment of different aspects of dementia care, but it's also a must-read for anyone whose loved one has dementia.
It took me a long time to read it all, and I'm glad I bought it and will have all my highlights to go back and review.
It's well organized and has a good index, so it's easy to flip to the topic you need. I appreciated that its approach was both straightforward and compassionate. It covers a lot of hard things very well.
The message I read over and over again is don't try to do it alone. It discusses several ways to get help. Two of the main resources mentioned were the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging. I hope caregivers take that message to heart.
I'm not the caregiver for the loved one in my family with dementia, but it was really helpful to read this. I've made sure everyone in the family has access to a copy.

This is a must read if you have a loved one with a dementing illness. The last few chapters about the research seem a little out-dated but the majority of the book is very informative.

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease this summer. Much of the book didn’t apply because she chose an independent living facility years ago, however this book offered much helpful content. My mom’s behaviors don’t match the stereotype of dementia, so we have been perplexed for the last few years by her changing ways. This book showed me what we missed and suggested steps forward in this sad journey. Extremely helpful and worth reading for anyone with an aging parent, spouse or self.

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer's Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life (Paperback) by Nancy L. Mace

We recently moved in with us my 90-year-old mother-in-law. She suffers from dementia. This is a wonderful guide to first, understand what we're dealing with. It also offers a guide of things we can do to make her stay and our adapting easier.

I highly recommend the book to anyone who's going through the experience of caring for an elderly mentally impaired loved one.

4.5 stars. First time reading it cover to cover (although I have read and consulted many sections over the years). It is full of useful information and reading the whole thing helped me identify some sections that might be good for trainees as well as caregivers to understand the basics of Medicare, paying for long term care, different types of facilities, etc.

This is a dense book packed with just about everything a family could encounter when dealing with dementia. I've been caring for my Mom who has Alzheimer's for more than a decade, and I think this book told me more than I've heard in all our doctor visits combined. Absolutely phenomenal resource and highly recommended for those who are dealing with this illness in their family.