Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia is a tough challenge. That’s why it’s such an important thing to be as educated about the disease and how to manage it as you can possibly be.
Check out our new article on creating an Activity Calendar for Seniors With Dementia. It’s a great resource on activities to help you and your loved one keep busy and entertained.
It’s important for family caregivers of an older adult who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease to carefully find books that will be helpful in their current situation.
Different methods of care can have different needs when it comes to reading material.
Reading a chapter or two once every couple weeks is enough for ongoing learning trends while also providing information quickly and easily.
Here are some wonderful caregiver books filled with compassionate advice that may help you through this very challenging time of your life. – Print out a PDF list of these resources here.
1. The 36 Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss
The 36-Hour Day will help family members and caregivers address these challenges and simultaneously cope with their own emotions and needs.
This new edition features an expanded section on planning ahead while staying true to the book’s original mission – providing helpful information in a conversational tone that speaks directly to readers.
2. Living in the Moment: A Guide to Overcoming Challenges and Finding Moments of Joy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
Living in the Moment is ideal for caregivers of all abilities, this book provides insights on how to take care and love your family member through the stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s.
With practical advice about what you can do at every stage in order make their life as comfortable and enjoyable possible.
3. Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s
Dancing with Rose is a beautiful nonfictional story based on the author’s experiences in dealing with her mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s.
4. The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture, and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It
In The Problem of Alzheimer’s, author Jason Karlawish takes us inside the emerging field of neuroethics to explore how and why science is transforming our relationship with memory.
He shows how we have come to think about dementia as a disease of memory, even though it is not.
5. The Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver’s Handbook: What to Remember When They Forget
The Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver’s Handbook is an essential tool for any primary caregiver who wants to help their partner as well as for professional caregivers and their patients.
By reading this book, you will become well-prepared with the knowledge and skills needed in order to support a person living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
6. Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Guide and Sourcebook
This Caregiver’s Guide and Sourcebook shows you that you’re not alone when it comes to caring for someone with Alzheimer’s.
This book is the best way to care for your loved one with Alzheimer’s. It has everything you need, from how to communicate and support them through their illness, all the way down to what kind of food they’ll be most comfortable eating in this stage of life.
7. Alzheimer’s Through the Stages: A Caregiver’s Guide
Alzheimer’s through the Stages: A Caregiver’s Guide is a book dedicated for those who care about someone with Alzheimer’s and all that it entails.
This guide offers advice, tips on how to deal with different stages of dementia and what you can do during these periods.
8. Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease
Learning to speak Alzheimer’s is a difficult task for the speaker and listener alike. The diseases causes memory loss, mood swings, and changes in personality that can make communication challenging!
9. When Reasoning No Longer Works: A Practical Guide for Caregivers Dealing with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care
When Reasoning No Longer Works is a guide to help caregivers dealing with different forms of dementia. It explains the mental deterioration of people who have this condition as well as practical tools you can use to take care of them.
10. A Caregiver’s Journey: Self-Care for Caregivers of Loved Ones with Dementia and Alzheimer’s
A Caregiver’s Journey is a caregivers savior.
A dementia diagnosis can put caregivers through a lot of stress, worry, emotion, and different situations in their day to day lives.
This book will inspire you on one amazing thing that all caretakers should be doing every single week! That is self-care!
11. Surviving Alzheimer’s: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers
Surviving Alzheimer’s is a practical guide to understanding what it means to care for someone with dementia disease, also known as ‘Alzheimer’s Disease’.
The book includes tips from families about how they have coped throughout the years of caregiving.
12. Keeping Hope Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer’s Journey
Keeping Hope Alive As Memories Fade – It’s a sad day when your parents hold you close, but not remember who you are anymore. The 5 Love Languages can help them feel loved even as memories fade away with Alzheimer’s disease.
13. Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine: A Caregiver’s Guide To Love, Humor, Patience, Confusion, Anger and Wine
Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook… – This book is full of humor and understanding that will help both the caregiver and the person with Alzheimer’s.
It also talks about how to get through difficult days by finding hope, laughter, acceptance, peace or even just a good glass of wine!
14. Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer’s Journey: A Guide for Families and Caregivers
Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer’s Journey is a great book for caregivers.
Alzheimer’s patients can be difficult and confusing when it comes to caregiving because they lose memory and cognitive skills that allow them to function independently or participate meaningfully in interactions.
15. Grace for the Unexpected Journey: A 60-Day Devotional for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia Caregivers
Grace for the Unexpected Journey is a devotional that provides guidance from scripture that will support caregivers during difficult times with dementia patients while also encouraging hope among those caring too much!
16. Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias: A Guide For People With Dementia and Those Who Care for Them
This Mayo Clinic guide on what you need to know about dementia with an emphasis on how it affects your loved ones.
It includes guidance from doctors who specialize in treating people that live with this disease as well as those caretakers caring for them daily.
17. A Caregiver’s Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier
Explore this Caregiver’s Guide for expert tips on enhancing a patient’s cognitive engagement while ensuring meaningful interactions, and discover essential items for outings, including snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellent, among other valuable advice.
It’s a comprehensive resource for making caregiving more effective and enjoyable.
18. My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver
My Two Elaines is written by Martin Schreiber, a former governor of Wisconsin and author. He watched his wife Elaine transform from the woman he fell in love with when they were both teenagers to an aging version who no longer recognizes him.
19. Finding Joy In Alzheimer’s: New Hope For Caregivers
Finding Joy In Alzheimer’s is filled with tips on what to do and not do in various different scenarios.
This groundbreaking volume was written by Marie Marley – a well known author who has dealt extensively with dementia issues – along side neurologist Daniel C Potts MD FAAN both experts when it comes to taking care of someone else’s intellectual disability.
20. The End of Alzheimer’s Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age
The End of Alzheimer’s Program offers a new way to think about Alzheimer’s and how it may be prevented. The author, Dr. Dale Bredesin lays out his treatment plan to help fight Alzheimer’s.
His plan focuses on the Ketoflex 12/3 Diet, 12 hour fasts, restorative sleep, specific types of supplementation, exercise and brain training.
21. The Alzheimer’s Solution: A Breakthrough Program to Prevent and Reverse the Symptoms of Cognitive Decline at Every Age
The Alzheimer’s Solution is based on an impressive set of evidence-based findings that were tested over 30 years with tens of thousands participants from all walks of life.
22. Dementia With Dignity: Living Well with Alzheimer’s or Dementia Using the Dawn Method
Dementia With Dignity is about caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia using the DAWN Method®. This is an innovative way of caring for those with dementia that trains families and caregivers to recognize the skills it doesn’t take away.
23. It’s Not That Simple: Helping Families Navigate the Alzheimer’s Journey
“It’s Not That Simple: Helping Families Navigate the Alzheimer’s Journey” sounds simple enough but it can be anything but that when trying to help a loved one navigate their journey with dementia or even just try and understand what is happening in theirs head as they struggle every day, hour by hour.
24. A Pocket Guide for the Alzheimer’s Caregiver
The Pocket Guide for the Alzheimer’s Caregiver is an excellent and personal guide for you if your friend or family member has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and it looks like they may need more care than just the occasional help around the house.
25. Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s
Before I Forget is written by a famous woman, B. Smith who has Alzheimer’s and it chronicles her personal experience through this disease.
She has accomplished much in her life. A magazine publisher, a restaurateur, celebrity chef and overall lifestyle maven.
But at 66 years of age she is struggling under the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
26. Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s: Principles of Caregiving That Kept Me Upright
Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s is about the struggles of early onset Alzheimer’s disease which happened to Dr. Renee Brown Harmon who at 55 years of age received this devastating diagnosis.
Blue, Baseball, Virginia: The Journey of an Alzheimer’s Patient and Caregiver! A Journey of Humor, Help, and Hope!
Blue, Baseball, Virginia is a touching and witty account of the journey that author, Lorrie Davis McDonald, went on with her mother-in-law while she helps to care for her.
You will laugh as you read about all the things they did together in order to outwit Alzheimer’s disease and help her to live with dignity until her death.
27. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: 101 Stories of Caregiving, Coping and Compassion
Chicken Soup for the Soul has 101 stories of caregivers, coping and compassion. Part of the classic Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this book does not disappoint.
28. Understand Alzheimer’s: A First-Time Caregiver’s Plan to Understand and Prepare for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Understand Alzheimer’s: A First-Time Caregiver’s Plan… is a guidebook will help you understand what Alzheimer’s is, and how it progresses. It also has in-depth explanations of the seven stages that are part of this complex disease.
29. Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease Stages, Treatments, and Other Medical Considerations
Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease Stages… is more of a medical guide for anyone wanting to learn about the disease, the symptoms and the prognosis of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
30. Coping with Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Emotional Survival Guide
Coping with Alzheimer’s is a helpful guide for anyone who cares about someone with Alzheimer’s.
It will help you deal with your thoughts and feelings in the best way that suits them, as well as guiding on how to be proactive and care for yourself while still doing everything you can for your loved one.
31. Coach Broyle’s Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers: A Practical Tips Guide
Coach Broyle’s Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers is a guide for caregivers and it’s styled in the form of a sports coach’s playbook.
The author J. Frank Broyles tackles the issue of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s very much like he would tackle the opposing team!
32. Healing Your Grieving Heart When Someone You Care About Has Alzheimer’s: 100 Practical Ideas for Families, Friends and Caregivers
Healing Your Grieving Heart… is filled with 100 tips that include suggestions on acknowledging feelings in productive ways as well as activities designed to meet all sorts of different needs – from getting outside more often (which has been shown to improve mental health) to talking through your daily routines so they won’t be forgotten when done out-loud and much more.
33. Activities to do with your Parent who has Alzheimer’s Dementia
The author, Judith A Levy, EdM OTR does not disappoint in her book, Activities to do with your Parent who has Alzheimer’s Dementia.
It’s filled with more than 50 wonderful activities that can encourage feelings of self worth in your senior loved one living with Alzheimer’s.
34. Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Dummies
Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Dummies covers the symptoms and treatments of Alzheimer’s written in the “for Dummies” style making it as simple as possible to comprehend and understand this disease.
If you are wanting to learn all you can about this disease – I would recommend this book especially if you are just starting to begin your education on this topic.
35. A Dignified Life: The Best Friends™ Approach to Alzheimer’s Care: A Guide for Care Partners
A Dignified Life is packed with a plethora of insights and practical knowledge about how to progress more efficiently through the stages of dementia.
The information in this new edition, which has been updated from earlier editions, provides readers with problem-solving advice that can be immediately put into practice for therapeutic activities like brain fitness exercises as well as adding structure and meaning to simple daily tasks.
36. What to Do Between the Tears: A Practical Guide to Dealing with a Dementia or Alzheimer’s Diagnosis in the Family
What to Do Between the Tears is written by a daughter who cared for her father as he moved through the stages of Alzheimer’s until he passed away.
37. Your Name Is Hughes Hannibal Shanks: A Caregiver’s Guide to Alzheimer’s
Your Name Is Hughes Hannibal Shanks is the story of a woman who cared for her husband who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
It’s her journal chronicling her fears, grief and final acceptance of what was to come.
She lists 20 coping skills to help caregivers through their own journey when caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
8 Movies About Alzheimer’s
Because I love movies as much as books I just wanted to include some wonderful movies that you can watch.
1. Away From Her
This beautiful movie is about a woman who recognizes that she is slowly showing more and more problems with memory loss and ultimately, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The 50 year marriage of this couple is disrupted by this disease and her decision to move into an assisted living facility – leaving her husband to work on reminding her who he is.
2. The Father
The Father is an interesting look at Alzheimer’s disease because the movie is from the perspective of the person (Anthony Hopkins) with the disease.
It may seem a bit confusing at first but then again, it’s meant to show how confusing Alzheimer’s can be for someone going through it.
3. Still Alice
This movie is about a young woman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and the impact that it has on her and her family.
4. The Notebook
Although The Notebook is more of a “love story” it does showcase how Alzheimer’s can affect a loving couple and their family.
The movie is set mostly in the past lives of the couple but there are some very sweet moments that most anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can relate to.
5. The Savages
The story in the movie The Savages is mostly about the relationship between the two siblings and the dysfunctional family they had to grow up in.
But there are great moments in this movie that anyone who cares for someone with Alzheimer’s can certainly relate to.
6. Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
A documentary about the the final tour that country singer Glen Campbell did in 2011 (his Goodbye Tour) because he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The film records the struggles and triumphs that the family endured as the disease continued to progress throughout the tour.
7. The Genius of Marian
A documentary on Prime Video by the son of Pam White who was diagnosed and is living through the stages of Alzheimer’s.
As he records his mother’s struggles, there are many clips of their past lives.
A beautiful documentary that anyone who has Alzheimer’s or is caring for someone with this disease should watch.
8. The Artist’s Wife
Another beautiful story on Prime Video. It’s about a wife (who is an artist) who has taken a back stage to her husband’s artistic career.
Now that he is showing signs of dementia, she realizes that the important thing now is to work on protecting him and caring for him.
But she is also faced with the decision whether or not to go back to her artistry and essentially, find herself again.
If you’re looking for some of the best movies for older adults to watch, check out our list here.
