While I have tried to write this manual with clarity and detail the one thing I did not touch on is "will it work'? And why is that? Because I honestly don't know. You see with Alzheimer's disease, there is no guarantee ANYTHING will work, on any given day. And what works for some, may not work for others.

Dealing with Alzheimer's, at best, is a hit and miss dilemma. There are so many perplexing facets of the disease there is nothing that comes with a written guarantee. But please remember...none of us are infallible and mistakes will happen. As your understanding of the disease grows, so will your techniques and skills.

I sincerely wish you great success with this booklet, for it is my earnest hope that someone, somewhere, will benefit from these suggestions.

I became a caregiver back in 1986 when my mother was diagnosed with having Alzheimer's Disease. Since that time I have gone on to develop my own program called Alzheimer's Outreach, which is designed to help other caregivers like myself.

Much of what I have written in this booklet is based on my own background and education about this disease. The help sheets come from various different health care professionals and are here to act as an additional aide.

If you have comments or questions pertaining to Alzheimer's disease, or if you have further questions, please feel free to visit my websites or contact me at the email addresses below.

Sincerely;

Marsha Penington Coordinator of Alzheimer's Outreach 1999

Websites:

http://alzheimers.zarcrom.com/

http://www2.cybercities.com/a/alzheimers/

http://www.zarcrom.com/users/alzheimers/odem/index.html

Email:

alzout@yahoo.com

taustin81@hotmail.com

References:

What Is Dementia; By Patricia Brown Coughian

Stage 5; 1991 Geriatric Resources

Stage 6; 1991 Geriatric Resources

Correspondence Of Functional Assessment Stages In Alzheimer's To Normal Human Development; 1991 Geriatric Resources

Progressive Phases Of Alzheimer's Disease; Memory Disorder and Alzheimer's Clinic, Lincoln General Hospital

Stages Of Ability Decline & Behaviors Symptoms; Eileen Driscoll R.N.

Stages of Language Breakdown; Memory Disorder and Alzheimer's Clinic, Lincoln General Hospital

Communicating Aides For The Alzheimer's Patient; Doreen Kotik-Harper & Robert G. Harper