The Alzheimer's Disease Bookstore

Alzheimer's Early Stages

First Steps in Caring and Treatment

by Daniel Kuhn

The only book to focus on early-stage Alzheimer's.

"Alzheimer's disease has a beginning, not just an end; and as with all beginnings, one must take the first steps before one takes the last. The problems encountered early in the disease and the advice required then are very different from what is needed later in the disease. This book enlightens us about these early stages. Mr. Kuhn seeks to replace fear with knowledge, in the hope that knowledge will lead to empowerment." -David A. Bennett, M. D. Director, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, from theforeword

Daniel Kuhn, MSW, has been a social worker and educator at the renowned Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center for the past twelve years. In that time, he says, many of his clients' family members and friends have noted that there is little information available about the early stages of Alzheimer's - a period that they may actually find the among the most difficult, because they may not know much about the disease itself, or how they can help. Kuhn's book, Alzheimer's Early Stages: First Steps in Caring and Treatment, fills this information gap.

"Alzheimer's is too often characterized only in the grimmest terms...." writes Kuhn. "Although life often becomes stressful...it is possible to make the necessary adjustments successfully if you start early enough...The beginning of Alzheimer's is a critical time to develop a philosophy of care and ways of coping that will promote a good quality of life [for everyone involved]."

The practical information and advice found in this book are divided into three parts:

• What is Alzheimer's disease? includes a comparison of the norrnal aging pattern of the brain with the effects of Alzheimer's; a discussion of the diagnostic process; and information on treatment and the latest research, including drugs being tested.
• Giving Carecenters around the importance of planning immediately for long-term needs ranging from legal and financial issues to living arrangements; explores the changing nature of familial relationships in the face of the disease; and takes readers on a journey through the experience of Alzheimer's from the perspective of people with the disease.
• Caring for Yourself offers ways relatives and friends can help themselves when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease.

"This book is practical," writes Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center Director David A. Bennett, M.D., in the foreword. "It tells you what you can and should do, and in some cases, what you should not do... [It] is also about reversing the dehumanization that unfortunately is now associated with Alzheimer's disease....Now that the dramatic images of Alzheimer's disease in its end stages have captured [widespread attention], it is time to think about how the disease begins."

Daniel Kuhn, MSW, has been a clinical social worker for more than 25 years. He is currently with the Mather Institute on Aging, Evanston, IL, and was the education director at the Rush Alzheimer's Center in Chicago, one of 27 federally funded centers in the United States.