Concerned with your loved one’s driving? David Bernstein, MD, addresses this in “Senior Driving Dilemmas”

Mar 16, 2022 12:31 am

Dear Friend of AlzAuthors,

The world lately is a confusing place, as war rains down on Europe, and we try to make peace - and learn to live - with a pandemic that has taken millions of lives. We wonder, What is going on? And how can we help? One thing remains steadfast: Our commitment to provide quality resources to those living with cognitive impairment. As former caregivers and storytellers, there is no greater honor, no greater responsibility than to play even this small part in making the world a better place. Thank you for entrusting us with guiding you on your dementia journey.

💜 💜 💜

Introducing our newest author, David Bernstein, MD

As a physician specializing in geriatrics, David Bernstein, MD has counseled hundreds of families about a common dementia problem: How do I get my cognitively impaired parent or spouse off the road? He has boldly taken on the problem, and offers advice in his book, Senior Driving Dilemmas.

Dr. Bernstein writes:

We have all heard stories of the older adult who gets lost while driving and ends up hundreds of miles from home, or drives off the road and injures innocent people. I won’t go into detail but I have heard my fair share. There was no one to protect the patient or the public from unsafe senior drivers. There was no one speaking to the affected driver. Doctors did not feel comfortable or compelled to and did not feel empowered. Families felt powerless. How in the world were they going to take the keys from the parents who brought them into this world? How could they strip their mother or father of their independence? Worse still, if the parent could not drive, who would transport them? Uh oh! There was bound to be major fall out. Denial is the easiest approach.

Read the entire post:

https://alzauthors.com/2022/03/15/davidbernsteinmd-senior-driving-dilemmas/

Please retweet the announcement of this post:

https://twitter.com/AlzAuthors/status/1503880280414773249?s=20&t=phJu7GmFGRd5QHyQPHnOww

💜 💜 💜

On The Podcast: Replay of Peter Berry and Deb Bunt - Living Well With Dementia

This week’s podcast is a replay of one that appeared last year with our friends Peter Berry and Deb Bunt. They’ve released a new book, a volume of poetry, musings, that Peter sent to Deb via text messages at the end of long days living with dementia. She transcribed his words and lovingly put them into a book called Walk With Me: Musings Through The Dementia Fog. Its pages are exquisitely illustrated with the work of Daniel Ruffles, a talented friend and photographer who captures the beauty of the Suffolk landscape and coastal areas where Peter and Deb live. In celebration of this vital new addition to dementia literature, we're replaying their podcast interview. After the podcast, you can read more about the book on our website, AlzAuthors.com. Enjoy!

The podcast is currently on break as Season 9 is in production. It picks up March 28th with Lori LaBey of Alzheimer's Speaks, followed by Tony Copeland-Parker, Running All Over the World, Laurette Klier, Nana's Books, Lynda Everman, Dementia Friendly Worship and more, Christy Byrne Yates, Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation, and Patti Davis, Floating in the Deep End. In the meantime, we're spotlighting interviews with authors you may have missed. Stay tuned.

💜 💜 💜

Ukraine

Amidst all the news and images out of Ukraine, we wonder and worry about the people living with dementia and their family caregivers caught up in this brutal invasion. Imagine how horrific it must be for those whose homebound or elderly loved one is unable to be relocated, living in memory or long-term care, confused and frightened by the bombings and turmoil. Many have no water, electricity, or heat. Food is scarce. As former caregivers of loved ones with dementia, we find it hard to envision what these families are going through, and what difficult decisions they have to make. Is there anything we can do to help?

We found this info on Alzheimer’s Disease International: Advice and support for those affected by the Ukrainian crisis. It provides information on how to help those with dementia cope during this crisis, and also lists organizations and resources helpful to these families. We’re sharing it here and across all our social media networks to raise awareness of a very human side of war, one many may not consider. You can share it across your platforms too, by retweeting and sharing our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

We are also making a donation from our own personal funds to an on the ground organization making a difference to displaced families. It’s our small way to support them in the midst of not one but two crises.

As always, we are stronger together.

💜 💜 💜

Marianne's Favorite Dementia Books

Co-founder and director Marianne Sciucco shares her choices for five of the best books on living with dementia on Shepherd, a book discovery site featuring a variety of books on a multitude of topics. The books she chose were all written for or by someone diagnosed with dementia, and show what life with the condition is really like. Authors include Jennifer Bute, Dementia From the Inside: A Doctor's Personal Journey of Hope; Gerda Saunders, Memory's Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia; Peter Berry and Deb Bunt, Slow Puncture: Living Well With Dementia; Michael Ellenbogen, From the Corner Office to Alzheimer's; and Wendy Mitchell, Somebody I Used to Know. There are several collections of books about dementia on this site, some curated by members of AlzAuthors. Happy browsing!

💜 💜 💜

Do You Know About Dementia Map?

Dementia Map©, co-founded by Lori LaBey of Alzheimer's Speaks and Dave Wiederrich of Memory Cafe Directory, is a FREE global directory to a variety of resources needed by those diagnosed with a form of dementia, family members, and professionals providing care or services. And they include books, blogs, and podcasts! In fact, many of our authors are already found there: Bobbi Carducci, Carol Bradley Bursack, Jennifer Bute, Mary Crescenzo, Trish Laub, members of the management team, and more. See you on the Map!

💜 💜 💜

Our mission is to provide quality resources for those concerned with Alzheimer’s and dementia. If you would like to help here are several ways you can support us:

Become an AlzAuthors Donor

Subscribe to our weekly blog

Follow our podcast and leave a review

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Volunteer your time and talents

Submit Your Book, Blog, or other Resource

Designate AlzAuthors as your Amazon Smile charity

Buy a book (or books!) in the AlzAuthors Bookstore

Join our Amazon book club

Leave a review on Google

Start or join a Round Robin Book Review Circle

Share this newsletter with others on a dementia journey