by Susan Kiser Scarff
Within a year of my husband receiving his dementia diagnosis, I had a classic case of caregiver burnout. I couldn't concentrate at work and most of my time was taken up with worrying about my husband's uncharacteristic and impulsive behavior. I was petrified and intimidated about the future…overwhelmed with basic day-to-day activities. Further, I was apprehensive about making the transition from wife to protector, nurse, and mother.
At the suggestion of a health professional, I began documenting the daily struggles of caregiving. After my husband passed away, I realized my daily journaling could be modified and turned into a valuable and timely resource for other caregivers in similar situations. Writing the book, and in turn helping others in similar situations, helped me to feel that my husband’s illness and my own caregiving struggles were not in vain. Something positive was able to come from the horrific disease called Dementia. Hopefully, the book, written with the help of my sister, Ann Kiser Zultner, will help fill in the huge gap between medical and in-home care for dementia patients.
Our book is intentionally designed as a practical guide for dementia caregivers. It begins with the diagnosis, and then moves into dealing with behavioral issues, managing daily living, safety concerns and late-stage. It also includes an assortment of caregiver tools and an extensive list of caregiver resources carers can use to find additional information on a variety of topics. Finally, the paperback version of the book (as opposed to the Kindle version) includes an Index that readers can use to go straight to any topic. I felt this was important since caregivers do not have time to sit down and read anything from start to finish, let alone spend hours researching. Every section also includes how I resolved many of the daily issues while caring for my husband…honestly, I learned everything by trial and error.
My husband, Red, proved to me that patience is a prerequisite, laughter is the best medicine, and a smile is worth a thousand words.
Purchase Dementia: The Journey Ahead - A Practical Guide for In-Home Caregivers, available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.
About the Authors
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| Susan Kiser Scarff, left, Ann Kiser Zultner, right |
Susan Kiser Scarff
I was born and raised a California girl. I live and thrive in Phoenix, Arizona since 1974. I graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1973 with a BS in secondary education with four and ½ years’ experience as a generational hippy and flower child. I come from a lineage of doctors, psychiatrists, and nurses. Our Father and Brother were both diagnosed with debilitating disorders shortly after I graduated from high school. I believe the culmination of our/my life experiences and family dynamics prepared me for the imminent role in life as a caregiver, aka, mother of all. I just can’t help it. My collective societal roles range from flipping burgers at the San Diego Zoo, multimedia artist and business owner, coaching junior’s tennis, tennis coordinator, volunteer and staff member at Desert Botanical Garden and last but most challenging …caring for my husband, diagnosed with FTD, for roughly 15 years in our home. It was a very long and difficult labor of love. Candidly, high school lesson plans, country club newsletters, botanical garden training manuals, several magazine articles, and one book sums up my prolific writing expertise. I believe our text is a wonderful starter book for novice dementia caregivers. If you have been a caregiver for a number of years...you can undoubtedly write your own book by now or already have.
Ann Kiser Zultner
I learned about dementia and caregiving through my sister, Susan, and her husband, Red. After Red’s dementia diagnosis, Susan and I would have weekly telephone conversations where she would describe Red’s new behaviors as the disease progressed and her ingenious ways of managing and coping with the resulting chaos and stress. Dementia: The Journey Ahead is designed to be a reference guide for dementia caregivers providing helpful and creative ideas on how to manage daily living. The book also includes some humor since that is the way our family seems to deal with just about everything. (Thanks, Mom.)
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Our Facebook page, Dementia: The Journey Ahead caregiving 101, provides caregivers with much needed advice, support, and guidance, to help prepare and take charge of the challenging and demanding journey ahead.
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