cover image The Loss of Self: A Family Resource for the Care of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders

The Loss of Self: A Family Resource for the Care of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders

Donna Cohen. W. W. Norton & Company, $19.95 (381pp) ISBN 978-0-393-02263-6

Despite greater public awareness and continued research, no cure for Alzeheimer's Disease has yet been found. However, Eisdorfer, president/chief executive officer of Montefiore Medical Center and professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Cohen, a gerontologist also affiliated with Montefiore and Einstein College, believe that these accounts of how families have coped with the debilitating disease may help other afflicted families to better manage the lives of the patient and themselves. The authors advise readers on developing and implementing a comprehensive, affordable life care plan to handle both practical and emotional matters. They discuss the sensitive relationships between doctor, family and patient, and the need to consider the interests of individual family members. The selection of a nursing home and chapters on dying and the cost of care complete this compassionate and sensible guidebook. (February 24)