#AlzAuthors: Lisa Skinner, Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost, Stories of Hope for Families Facing Alzheimer’s and Dementia

by Lisa Skinner

 

I wrote the book, Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost, Stories of Hope for Families Facing Alzheimer’s and Dementia for those who are coping with loved ones afflicted with a dementia-related illness, and crumbling with the anguish of helplessly standing by, watching your loved one decline, and not knowing how to make it better for all who are affected.

I have been in your shoes so many times. As a matter of fact, I have personally watched 7 of my family members go through all the stages of a dementia-related illness through the end of their life.  The irony of my story is that in addition to having 7 family members afflicted with dementia, my 17 1/2 year -old cockapoo, Oliver, has also been diagnosed with doggie dementia! I believe this is my calling, and why I want to help you through your turbulent journey.

My name is Lisa Skinner.  I am a behavior specialist dedicated to helping families understand the stages and related behaviors that are associated with dementia-related illnesses.

My first experience with dementia was when I was a teenager and my beloved grandma began displaying some pretty bizarre behaviors.  Her doctor diagnosed her with what was referred to back in the 70’s as senile dementia.  She displayed a gamut of behaviors including paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions, all of which are symptomatic of dementia; however, not all people who suffer from dementia display all these behaviors. Everyone is different. Everyone displays different symptoms, and the cause of the dementia can be a result of over 50 different illnesses or conditions. Alzheimer’s disease is the number one cause of dementia, but there are many other causes, as I will discuss.  

My grandmother believed there were birds nesting in her mattress; rats running along the walls; people breaking into her home and stealing things, as well as men trying to kill her. She would call the police everyday and report one or more of these occurrences. Finally, one day, they got a hold of my mother and told her to do something with her, as she was a nutcase! I was so outraged! My grandma wasn’t a nut, she had an illness! Didn’t they get that? Apparently not, and neither did most other people, including the doctors. Not much was understood about dementia then. We were at a loss for help and understanding of what was happening to my grandma, and how to manage her unpredictable day to day behaviors.

Let’s fast forward 40 years now. I have worked in the senior living industry since 1996, and have helped thousands of families understand how to communicate with their loved one who has dementia. I have set up programming in dementia-care homes, as well as trained staff on how to care for those with dementia. I also hold an administrator’s certification through the Department of Social Services with the State of California. While working on a master’s degree in Psychology, I made the decision to specialize in dementia-related illnesses and teach families how they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education. Working in the aging care industry, I became aware that there were still very limited resources on this subject; although there was a dire need for families to comprehend it.

The greatest obstacle for family members, caregivers, and the ones afflicted with dementia is how to communicate effectively with one another. It’s a learning process, but one that can be extremely effective and bring joy to the lives of all.

Please join me as I share the stories of real people and real situations of those who have endured the difficult journey through dementia. My goal is that you will be able to relate them to your own situations and benefit from the experiences of others.  Many of my readers have told me that they wished they had this information when their loved one had dementia, but that the information has given them closure now that they have a better understanding of what was happening to their loved one, and how all the behaviors that they witnessed finally make sense. 

Purchase Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost 

 

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New Release Spotlight: Living for Today, Soft Romance by Amazon Best Selling Author Brenda Kennedy

 

After recovering from amnesia, domestic violence, and the death of her abusive husband, Ava Emerson finally put her past behind her, and moved forward to an unforeseen future.

When Xander Jamison went to Savannah, Georgia, he had given up on life and love. His plan was to accept his death sentence and die with dignity.

That was until he met Ava Emerson. But when Xander reveals to Ava that he's dying of brain cancer,

Ava's life is shattered once again. Can Xander find a treatment or a cure in time?

Will fate step in and leave Ava devastated and alone?

Will her lifelong friend Chase be there to pick up the pieces, once again? Can Chase finally reveal his true feelings for Ava, or does he continue to keep them from her and move on without her?

 ∗∗∗∗∗ This is book 2 in an all new series, The Forgotten Trilogy by Brenda Kennedy, and is not meant to be read as a stand - alone. Book 1 is available for download *FREE* on all major platforms and does end in a cliff - hanger. Book 2 also ends in a cliff – hanger. Book 3 is tentatively scheduled for release December 2016, and will be the final book in the series.

PURCHASE LIVING FOR TODAY

AMAZON | B&N | iTUNES | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

AMAZON INTERNATIONAL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

First and foremost I am a wife, mother and grandmother. 

I am also a nurse and a new author. 

I moved to sunny Florida in 2006 and never looked back. 

I love fresh squeezed lemonade, crushed ice, teacups, wineglasses, non-franchise restaurants, ice cream cones, boating, picnics, cookouts, throwing parties, lace, white wine, mojitos, strawberry margaritas, white linen tablecloths, fresh flowers and Pinterest. I also love to read and write and to spend time with my family. My books thus far, have been inspired by the things I love and the people who influence me, every single day to be a better person.

CONNECT WITH BRENDA KENNEDY

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TSU | AMAZON | INSTAGRAM

GOODREADS  |  WEBSITE

OTHER BOOKS BY BRENDA KENNEDY

The Starting Over Trilogy

          

The Freedom Trilogy :

          

The Fighting To Survive Trilogy :

          

The Rose Farm Trilogy :

          

The Forgotten Trilogy :

         

Anthology :

Tour proudly hosted by Christina at #CBB Productions

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

AlzAuthors: Blogger Lisa B. Capp, Caregiver "Survivor"

by Lisa B. Capp

Everyone knows someone touched by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

We write, because today these diseases cannot be prevented, slowed or cured. We seek answers because their manifestation is often irrational, frightening and perplexing. And, as human beings, we continually reach from darkness to find light, whether you’re someone living with dementia or you’re caring for a loved one with the disease.

Millennials grew up watching their parents shoulder the responsibility of a grandparent’s care or worse, witness to early onset of a parent. In the absence of a cure, millennials will likely become the primary caregivers to their own aging baby boomer parents; those who possess a cruel knowing of how this disease will change their lives.

Our world has faced many health crises and with enough time, talent and resource has moved the needle on many. My hope: We can do the same one day for dementia. I write, striving to make a contribution to caregivers struggling everyday in their role. My blog shares a caregiver “survivor” story of the 18-year dementia journey I shared with my mother, Vera.

“The day the wheels fell off” refers to the day my family was left with only one option – to involuntarily commit our otherwise healthy mother to a locked psychiatric ward so professionals might stabilize her psychotic delusions and hallucinations. My mother’s case presented little evidence of the more traditional memory loss and confusion that the media conditioned me to expect.

The role of primary caregiver fell to me; it was just geography. With a family steeped in the Italian-American tradition of cross-generational care there were ongoing expectations, compounded by feelings of falling short, wrapped around a perpetual sense of guilt and conflict. My family, like others, was beset by long-term strains. But as her illness deepened, we unified in the dedication to our mother’s care.

Sharing a home with my mother after my dad’s death, decline began and nighttime always bred apprehension. Women walked across the roof in high heels piercing the ceiling where she laid in bed, and winged monkeys pried at her bedroom windows. Late night screams and emergency room visits were commonplace.

From my blog:

Sentinel

As a caregiver to someone with dementia
  It’s difficult to remember what they were
   Before the tangles and the plaques

If I close my eyes
  And push the dementia away
   I see her from the seat of my bike 

 

 







She’s strong and vibrant
  Standing behind me
   Ready to catch, if I fall

I will stay with her
  Standing sentinel
   Witness to this long and slow descent

About the Author

A transformation champion working with senior leaders of business, government and non-profit organizations across five continents focused on change. I helped organizations that wanted to change their vision, their strategy, their results or their very place in the world. It proved more difficult to help myself on the transformational journey of dementia that my mother and I shared.

Connect with Lisa B. Capp

Website & blog
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Follow AlzAuthors at alzauthors.wordpress.com

Swim Season Launches November 1! Announcing my blog tour!

AlzAuthors: Barbra Cohn's Calmer Waters

by Barbra Cohn

I spent a decade caring for my husband Morris, who died from younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease in August 2010. Afterward, I was compelled to write Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s and Dementia to help other caregivers feel happier, have more energy and time for themselves, sleep better, feel more relaxed and confident, and experience inner peace . . . because I had become an expert caregiver. I felt that if I didn’t reach out to help others my experience would have been for naught.

I was in a unique position to write Calmer Waters because I’ve been a professional writer for the past 36 years and writing is the easiest way for me to express myself. Since I write for manufacturers of nutritional supplements, I am continuously researching the latest and greatest “silver bullets” to improve health, prevent disease and illness, and support cognitive function.

Writing Calmer Waters was based on both my personal experience as a caregiver and my professional experience as a writer/researcher.

How is Calmer Waters different?
 

Calmer Waters is different from other books for the Alzheimer’s and dementia community. It includes my life story, inspirational essays and rituals from spiritual leaders, stories from family caregivers, and twenty healing modalities from renowned experts that can be practically incorporated into a daily regimen. An added bonus is that both care partners —the caregiver and memory-impaired individual—can use most of the healing modalities, allowing for a stronger connection between the two.

Response to Calmer Waters

The feedback I’ve received has been very positive. Readers have reported that the book is an excellent resource for all caregivers, regardless of the health issue they are dealing with. Non-caregivers are also enjoying Calmer Waters and are using it to improve their general health.

Support for caregivers

Personal accounts of the journeys that nine caregivers embarked on with their loved ones illustrate the challenging medical, financial, emotional, and social roadblocks that accompany coping with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

A rare blend of storytelling and practical and spiritual advice, Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s and Dementia offers an uplifting account of the strength of the human spirit and a testament to the love and dedication of the 15 million Americans caring for a memory-impaired relative or friend.

About the Author

Barbra Cohn holds a Master’s degree in professional writing, a BA in English, a BA in Religious Studies, and a Certificate in Nutrition from the Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts. As a nutrition educator, she offers nutritional support to caregivers, guiding them to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. Barbra has been a professional writer for 36 years, and has written hundreds of health and travel articles for national, regional, and local publications. She lives in Boulder, Colorado where she and her late husband raised their two children. She is a devoted grandmother to three grandchildren and will soon welcome a granddaughter into the world. In her spare time, Barbra enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and dancing salsa, tango and Israeli folkdance.

Connect with Barbra Cohn
Twitter @healthwriter1 
Barbracohn.com (thehealthcaregiverblog) 
Website
Email: healthwriter1@gmail.com

Purchase Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s and Dementia on Blue River Press
2016, ISBN 978-1-68157-014-3-51699, $16.99 and Amazon

Cover Reveal! Sandi Bischoff's Paranormal / Fantasy "Drakkar ~ Beyond the Lie," Book 3 in the Dark Order of the Dragon Series

Drakkar Dragoni, the only son of Princess Absinthe Dragoni, always believed what his mother told him. Humans were nothing more than cattle, raised to nourish their kind and her half brother, Jared Bonatelli, stole from her a kingdom that was rightfully hers. He vowed to right this wrong even if it meant Jared dies by his hand.

But what if none of it was true?

 What if it was all.... A LIE?

Who can he turn to?
Who can he trust to help him make things right again?

~ Excerpt ~

From the edge of the clearing a dark figure lurked among the shadows. Weaving between the trees, the uninvited guest tried to get as close as he could to the soft music and candle lit tent behind the grand blue Victorian mansion. Muffled conversation and laughter drifted in his direction on the crisp February breeze.

Something inside him ached to be a part of it. To slip inside the tent and watch the celebration up close and personal. He’d never known true happiness. Never witnessed the purest form of love these people were now basking in. What he wouldn’t give to feel it for himself, just once.

Yeah, sure, and pigs will one day sprout wings and fly away.

A vibration in his back pocket stopped him in his tracks. Drakkar pulled his cellphone out glancing at the screen. Narrowing his eyes at the caller’s name, he debated about answering it. What was the worst that could happen? With any luck ignoring her would have him thrown out on the street in no time. In fact that was the lesser of two evils.

Swiping his thumb across the screen he closed his eyes readying for the rant that was about to come. All it took was a split second. His mother’s shriek made his ears bleed.

“Drakkar! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for hours.” Absinthe’s voice was hard and cold. It resembled nothing a mother worried about her only son’s whereabouts would sound like.

“I was in class. What do you want?” He snarled back at her. It was all a lie but she had no clue. Absinthe only cared about herself.

“That’s no way to address me, Drakaar. You forget I can have your pathetic existence squashed at any moment.” She threatened.

“So you keep reminding me.” It was getting to the point where he wished she would make good on her threat. At least then he could be free of her. Counting to ten he relaxed slightly. “Was there something you needed?” Mommy Dearest.

“Much better.” She purred making his skin crawl. “I need you to come directly home after school gets out. Something has come up.”

Oh for the love of…

Drakaar strained his neck to see two people sneaking out of the tent. The wolf and his bride made a quick check of their surroundings before disappearing through glass French doors. His sensitive hearing caught the sweet sound of her voice just as she whispered her love to him. With a growl the wolf kicked the door shut. The silhouette of the groom carrying his bride across the room vanished around a corner inside the house. The reflected glow from Drake’s eyes dimmed against the bark of the tree he hid behind.

“Drakaar?” Absinthe’s voice broke his concentration.

Gritting his teeth, he shrugged off the invisible hand he knew she would have placed on his shoulder. “What?”

“I said I need you home. Are you well? You don’t sound like yourself.”

He wasn’t fooled by the concern in her voice. Absinthe could care less if something was bothering him. The only reason she might even give it a second thought was if the issue interfered with her plans. Gods forbid he might be feeling, worrying or even needing something. If it didn’t concern her, his mother didn’t want to be bothered.

Glancing back toward the large white tent, Drakkar noticed people starting to leave. He shrunk back into the brush allowing the branches to swallow him. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

“Excellent. Do try to not be late.” And then the Poison Princess was gone.

“Thanks for small favors.” He whispered.

There was no point in telling her he cut out early to spy on the wedding. It would only piss her off and that was something he could do without. Ever since Bonatelli reared his ugly head, his mother did a complete one eighty on him. He used to actually believe Absinthe loved him. Now, he caught her looking at him with disgust. Even when she spoke to him it was infused with venom half of the time.

Yet, as he sat in the weeds watching the way her enemies interacted and spoke to each other, it was evident what he endured was not normal. Bonatelli and his cohorts did not seem to be the monsters Absinthe painted them to be. He actually treated everyone he met with a loving respect, especially his very pregnant wife. There was no mistaking what he saw between Jared and his soon to be Queen, unconditional -I’d die to protect you- love.

When had Absinthe ever treated him that way? The answer -never.

Drakkar slipped his phone in the side pocket of the backpack resting beside him before swinging it over his shoulder. A slight tingle on the back of his neck hinted sunrise was coming soon. If he sat here wishing on fairytales much longer, his mother’s wrath would be the least of his problems.

He was just about to turn and leave when the scent of strawberries hit him. Inhaling deeply, Drakkar looked toward the tent. A couple emerged accompanied by a black haired girl roughly his age. The scent grew stronger when the girl’s toffee colored eyes gazed in his direction. He couldn’t move. Just one look from her and he was paralyzed.

Drake’s gums began to throb painfully. He covered his mouth just as his fangs began to descend in his mouth and ducked deeper into the brush. The way his body reacted to the human confused him. He’d been around his mother’s human servants all of his life and he never had the urge to claim any of them. He did feed from them on occasion but this was different. Something inside him wanted her as his.

“I have to get out of here.”

He glanced back in her direction in time to see her slip on a patch of ice in the driveway. It was all he could do to hold himself back from running to her side and helping her. The tall human male next to her reached out to keep her from falling. Drake growled taking a few steps forward stopping before he exposed his hiding place. He watched her smile her thanks at the man and duck inside the car waiting for them. Once all three humans were safely inside, the limousine pulled away driving right past him and out to the main road.

Drakkar fell back against a tree. What the hell just happened to me?

The cell phone in his bag started vibrating again. There was only one person it could be. Drake pulled it out and looked at the screen. Absinthe’s name glared back at him. “Leave me the **** alone!” he snarled hurling the phone across the property.

Maybe that wasn’t the brightest thing he had ever done but it felt good to be rid of her if only for the moment. He’d come back tomorrow and retrieve it. Not like anyone would be out during the day here anyway.

Voices in the tent behind him gradually grew silent alerting him to the fact he was finally alone. The tingle in the back of his neck grew stronger. His reaction to the female cost him dearly. It was possible he wouldn’t make it home before sunrise now. Rather than pick his way back down the hill to where his ride was hidden, Drake opted for the quick leave vanishing into the morning fog.

~ About the Author ~

Sandra Bischoff lives in the historic town of Cornwall, NY with her extremely patient husband and teenage son, she affectionately calls the Demon. She is a Pharmacist by profession but found her true calling in a simple twist of fate. A friend approached her to write in a forum on a popular networking website. Over the next five years her passion had found its niche. She went on to compose a few poems and short stories which she would post on her homepage at the same networking site.Her debut novel, Beyond the Sun was published April 2013 by Bayou Brew Publishing. She recently was named to Amazon's best seller list in the Fantasy/Epic category. Sandra's second book in this series entitled Beyond Time was released earlier this spring in time for the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans where she was a featured author at the Book Fair. She has since left Bayou Brew Publishing to embark on the next chapter of her writing career, Independent Publishing. As of this time she has re-released both books in e-book and paperback formats. They can be found on Amazon.com.

~ Other books by Sandra Bischoff ~

Beyond the Sun

Beyond Time