- Guidebook helps carers to become more confident in their ability to understand, manage and help loved ones living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- 50,000 family carers in Ireland struggle to provide at home care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia
26th January 2015. Confidence to Care is the first book published by Home Instead Senior Care, Ireland’s largest home care provider, to help dementia caregivers. It combines personal stories with practical techniques drawn from caregiving experiences from family caregivers and professional Home Instead caregivers and internationally recognised experts.
The book focuses on the most common issues associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and helps family carers deal with caregiving situations they never thought they would have to face. Each chapter offers plenty of care approaches and prevention tips, and begin with a relevant and moving real-life family caregiver story.
“One of our first experiences with Alzheimer’s disease involved a client who refused to change her clothes. Marion insisted on wearing the same grey trousers every day, all day. Eventually her caregiver bought her a duplicate pantsuit and that was all that was needed to encourage her to change into a fresh set of clothes. It’s simple tips like this that are included in the book – everyday advice that make the caregiving experience slightly less daunting”, says Danette Connolly, Director of Care, Home Instead Senior Care.
Connolly continues: “Without understanding what triggers the behaviours associated with dementia, or knowing practical techniques to help counter them, it’s easy for family caregivers to feel overwhelmed. But discovering simple tips can mean the difference between endless frustration and a positive care experience”.
Confidence to Care also highlights the importance of the caring for the caregiver as well as caring for the person living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. It also provides support in dealing with a range of dementia-related symptoms and behaviours such as:
- Aggression and anger
- Agitation and anxiety
- Bedtime struggles and sleep problems
- Confusion and memory loss
- Delusions
- False accusations and paranoia
- Medication mismanagement
- Mood changes
- Repetition
- Sexually inappropriate behaviour
- Social withdrawal
- Wandering
All profits from this book will be donated to dementia-related organisations and causes. The Irish edition of the book is available in paperback and Kindle edition from Amazon here.
About the Author
Author, speaker, trainer and family caregiver. Molly Carpenter brings years of personal and professional senior care experience and training to families dealing with dementia care. Her passionate interest in older adults started early – as a secondary school student working in an adult day care programme – and continues as an adult and a professional. The reality of caregiving is never far from her experience due to her work in skilled nursing facilities, adult day care centres and continuum of care communities. In her current role, Carpenter works with a team responsible for ensuring that the Home Instead Senior Care® network’s 60,000 caregivers worldwide have the resources necessary to effectively provide quality care in the home and understand the importance of their work enhancing the lives of those they serve. This combined background makes her uniquely qualified to author a book designed specifically to help family caregivers provide care to those with dementia in the home. Carpenter’s work as part of the team that developed a person-centred approach to Alzheimer’s care has been adopted and adapted globally and is critical to the success of the Home Instead care approach for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. This work has been endorsed by leading experts in the Alzheimer’s industry and adapted for family caregivers throughout the world.