Dear Clueless
A Daughter's Journey Through Alzheimer's Caregiving
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If this book causes just one person to understand that each person's caregiving walk is based on history with the patient; and that each history is personal and individual, then my goal for this book will be met. I hope that I, too, have learned not to judge others without walking in their shoes. But...the Alzheimer's walk sometimes feels more like a marathon without the cheering crowds at the end. And now at the end of this walk, I am grateful for courage, for compassion, for endurance, for humor and for great love...both given and received.
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About the Book
I have lost both parents, a grandmother, an aunt and a cousin to Alzheimer’s Disease. They all died either of the disease itself, or of another cause but in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. Currently, a cousin from each side of my family is living with the disease. One is in advanced stages in a nursing home and the other is beginning to lose ground. The numbers stagger me. Every 63 seconds a new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s occurs in the US. 40 years ago, when my grandmother was diagnosed, very few people had heard of the disease. Now, it seems as if every new acquaintance has a family member or friend stricken with Alzheimer’s. Age is no longer a factor although most cases are diagnosed after age 65. Early onset Alzheimer’s seems to be more and more common. The youngest person on record with Alzheimer’s is a two-year-old toddler. Death from the disease takes from 8-10 years after diagnosis usually. There is no cure, and currently treatment is woefully inadequate. This book is both a personal story of a decade-long journey of caregiving as well as a call to arms for funding and research of this terminal disease.
About the Author
Sandra Savell has been a nationally licensed massage therapist (NCBTMB) since 1998. From 2002 until 2010 she was the primary caregiver for her mother who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She is a spokesperson and advocate for Alzheimer funding and research. She resides in Aiken, SC, with her husband, Dale, and her corgi, Mimi.