Measure of the Heart: A Father’s Alzheimer’s, a Daughter’s Return

“For everyone who loves someone with Alzheimer’s,” Geist observes, “there are markers and moments that tell you the disease is on the way.” Her account of two years spent “helping a person with Alzheimer’s stay in this world” is both travel guide and love story—neither in the conventional sense. As Geist makes her way, “trying new things, failing, scratching plans, making mistakes, and starting all over again,” she uses her professional skills as a journalist and TV anchor to incorporate conversations with other caregivers, consultation with experts and wide reading in the literature. Sensitive that “Alzheimer’s disease affects patients and spouses in many different ways,” Geist offers helpful suggestions (“using his words instead of trying to teach him mine”) and practical advice (“Doing activities alone is imperative to the survival of a caregiver”). True, there was “a downside to having to come home to help care for my father,” but Geist’s love of her parents and their love for one another is as palpable as the sadness wrought by the disease. To all readers, she offers a deeply affecting account of personal growth: “I define myself and my life in a whole new way. These days, it is the measure of the heart that matters most to me.” (Aug.)