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Living On the Verge of Insanity Loving lessons learned from my sweetie's early-onset Alzheimer's Disease A Caregiver's Memoir by Christine Sotmary |
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DescriptionWhether you are caring for an aging parent, a troubled child or a spouse with emotional or health problems, or, as Christine has experienced, a loved one with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, there are many things to consider and lessons to learn during these stress-filled times. With so many self help books on the market, it's nice to have a behind the scenes look at what goes on in the long term care of a loved one with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Living On the Verge of Insanity follows Christine and Alan's journey to discover how she learned that caregiving can be a loving, enriching time in life ,but often it gets derailed. Find out how one caregiver learned to stay on track and reached deep inside herself to find untapped resources and skills she never knew she had.View a sample chapter from Living on the Verge of Insanity What Readers are Saying"...an easy read and a tender love story of a caring person." --Jean Hampsas, the caregiver for her husband"The book is an intimate look into a partnership and truly serves as a practical and non-judgemental guide which I feel will help readers who are already well into (or have even finished) their own journeys to reflect and realize their own positive insights . It was an honor to review this beautiful elucidation of Chris and Alan's deeply moving experiences together and it brought to mind many pleasant memories of my dear mother. Thank you both for this opportunity." --Felicia Gironda, former caregiver and Associate Professor at Touro College, specializing in normal and abnormal aging"I've known Christine Sotmary for over fifty years. We played together when we were children and, separately, we have known tragedy and pain. Reading her story of her journey and of the strengths she developed and discovered that she had has helped me understand better the woman she has become and the way that a strong and determined person can grow through struggle and pain. This is a book that has to be read more than once." --Leonard Marks, caregiver for his wife and Christine's childhood friend"Thank you for the pleasure and privilege of reading your manuscript Living on the Verge of Insanity. I found it to be a most moving love story and an incredibly poignant honoring of your life partner. Your careful descriptions of your relationship with Alan, before, during and after his illness, are truly informative to anyone who has ever been in a relationship at all, not just people who have been involved in the care of an ill loved one. Your depiction of the progression of the illness itself is a tribute to the human spirit's transcendence of bodily illness and is therefore inspirational to all, since we are all vulnerable to our own eventual physical decline. I am left with the impression of your being an extraordinary individual, and I thank you for having confirmed my long held conviction that the arts are powerfully healing forces and that ongoing involvement in an art form, over the course of one's life, can usher us into the final phase with grace and dignity. Thank you again for allowing me to share this with you!" --Judith Luongo, M.P.S., A.T.R.Interview with ChristineYou can listen to a recent interview that Christine gave regarding her book and experiences. Download Now (MP3 Format, 3.5MB, 15:10)About the Author
Christine Sotmary, M.S., L.Ac, CPC is a certified Life Coach specializing in coaching caregivers to rediscover joy, find resources and hold on to love they have for themselves and others during these trying times. Go to gotcoaching.com for more information.
She also is a powerful speaker on the many loving lessons that she learned during her 8-year journey of caring for her sweetie. Find more information on her speaking about Loving Lessons for Fortifying a Full Heart: 30 Loving Lessons for Caregivers, contact her at sotmary@gmail.com |
OrganizationsAlzheimer's Association : www.alz.orgThe Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation : www.alzinfo.org The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation is dedicated to attacking the scourge of Alzheimer's with a 3-pronged assault focused on the cause, care, and cure for Alzheimer's disease as well as supporting the public with educational programs. A Place For Mom : www.aplaceformom.com A free referral service helping families find nursing homes, assisted living, Alzheimer's care, retirement communities, home care, and other senior care options. National Family Caregivers Association : www.thefamilycaregiver.org The National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers, and speaks up for the more than 50 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age. Caregiver's Home : http://www.caregivershome.com Caring for our elderly can be an extremely lonely and frustrating vigil, but caregiving can also be filled with a rich sense of closeness and satisfaction from the knowledge that you are doing your utmost to help your loved one. At Caregiver's Home, we are committed to serving you, the caregiver, with education, information, resources and support. Aging with Grace, CareConnection : http://www.awgcareconnection.blogspot.com All too many times, overwhelmed caregivers are physically and emotionally depleted and need to take time to rest and care for themselves. Believing in a holistic approach to caregiver stress and a strong commitment to helping our members find the right solutions, we created this blog to help you connect with others who, like you, may be facing the same eldercare issues and challenges. BooksAlzheimer's Early Stages: First Steps for Family, Friends and Caregiversby Daniel Kuhn Hunter House; 2nd edition, 2003 ISBN: 978-0897933971 Learning to Speak Alzheimer's by Joanne Koenig Coste. ISBN-13: 9780618485178 A form of caregiving, championed by internationally recognized expert Joanne Koenig Coste, is significantly improving the lives of Alzheimer patients and their families. Since 1973 she has been advocating a compassionate and common sense approach to Alzheimer's care known as habilitation. Habilitation uses easy techniques to help people with the disease and their carepartners on the journey through Alzheimer's. The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life 4th ed., by Nancy L. Mace, M.A., and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0801885099 Art in the Alzheimer's Wing by Mary Crescenzo A collection of first-person poems inspired by an arts facilitator's work with Alzheimer's patients, family members, and staff who deal with the disease. For bookings, contact Mary Crescenzo at mcrescenzo@verizon.net Peace of Mind A drama of monologues about Alzheimer's disease in the voice of patients, family, and staff. Q&A session after the show. For bookings: mcrescenzo@verizon.net ArticlesMayo Clinic, "Early-onset Alzheimer's: When symptoms begin before 65" http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers/AZ00009 Two with Alzheimer's speak for themselvesBy Mary Engel The Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/30/local/me-dementia30 |