Few families are untouched by Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Moving accounts of what it is like to care for someone with this disease have already been published, as well as how-to books that offer caregivers advice and information on coping. But this book is the first to provide a comprehensive report of what it is like to have dementia oneself -- the subjective experience of living with progressive memory loss.

Each chapter discusses a different aspect of having dementia, from the initial assessment and diagnosis through placement in a nursing home. The discussions are grounded in qualitative research and case studies, which convey the variable and personal nature of the experience. They seek to help clinicians, researchers, students, and caregivers (both professionals and family members) understand the experience of dementia, and thereby to promote better caregiving through a person-centered approach.

Contributors: Kathleen Kahn-Denis, Judson Retirement Community; Casey Durkin, a psychotherapist in Cleveland, Ohio; Jane Gilliard, Dementia Voice, UK; Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Carroll University; John Keady, University of Wales, UK; John Killick, University of Stirling, UK; Rebecca G. Logsdon, University of Washington; Charlie Murphy, University of Stirling, UK; Alison Phinney, University of British Columbia, Canada; Steven R. Sabat, Georgetown University; Dorothy Seman, Alzheimer's Family Care Center, Chicago; Lisa Snyder, University of California, San Diego; Jane Stansell, Alzheimer's Family Care Center, Chicago; Gloria Sterin, Shaker Heights, Ohio; Jon C. Stuckey, Messiah College; Robyn Yale, Consultant to the Alzheimer's Association, San Francisco; Rosalie Young, Wayne State University School of Medicine.