Grace for the Unexpected Journey: A 60-Day Devotional for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia Caregivers

In this compassionate and thoughtful devotional guide, Barr (Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade) addresses the wide range of experiences faced by those caring for people with dementia disorders. Short chapters with titles such as “Cherish What Remains,” “The Loss of ‘Us,’ ” and “What About Me?”conclude with brief exercises, hymn verses or scripture texts to ponder, and questions for reflection or journaling. Barr gives constructive guidance on issues such as caregiver depression and the need to advocate for loved ones, as well as suggestions for reframing challenges, such as, “How can you ensure that your caregiving journey makes you better instead of bitter?” Individuals’ stories space out the practical advice and add a human element: “Holly, the only woman he had ever loved, no longer remembered who he was.” Barr’s strong evangelical Christian perspective (one devotion includes an opportunity to “invite [Jesus] to be your Savior”) could be off-putting for some readers, but this book, which includes a foreword by Gary D. Chapman (The 5 Love Languages), provides material that caregivers of many faith traditions may find helpful. (Jan.)