Education Materials

Below is a list of books that Hospice of the Valley recommends for those caring for a loved one with Dementia. They are available at the library and bookstores.

Recommended reading:


  • A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care
    By Virginia Bell and David Troxel
    Target Audience: Family Caregivers
    Illustrated through real, heartfelt stories, A Dignified Life shows how the Best Friends method can bring dignity to the lives of those who have Alzheimer's disease and those who care for them. With an emphasis on family impact, the book describes how families can work together to create effective communication and meaningful activities for the person with dementia. This optimistic book is an indispensable resource for all family members and friends caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease.
  • Alzheimer's from the Inside Out
    By Richard Taylor, Ph D
    Target Audience: Persons with Dementia, Family and Professional Caregivers
    This is an insightful collection of essays written by Dr. Richard Taylor about his personal experiences living with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Taylor skillfully shares his perspectives on life and relationships redefined by a dementia diagnosis. It is a remarkable account illuminating one wise, determined and courageous man's journey through the changes and challenges of Alzheimer's disease.
  • Navigating the Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass for Caregiving
    By Carol Bowlby Sifton
    Target Audience: Family and Professional Caregivers
    Aptly titled, this is an excellent roadmap with straightforward advice on how to care for persons with dementia in a manner that upholds dignity and enhances quality of life.
  • Creating Moments of Joy
    By Jolene Brackey
    Target Audience: Family Caregivers
    This book brings quick and practical assistance to caregivers to help them discover new ways to understand what the person with dementia is trying to communicate through actions and words. The author presents new ways of looking at common situations that are often viewed in a negative context. She provides creative strategies to make a negative situation better. Each chapter is only a few pages in length, allowing the overwhelmed caregiver to take in a few new ideas each day. Caregivers are encouraged to use this book as their own personal journal to write ideas and then share the book with another caregiver once their journey has ended.
  • Understanding Difficult Behaviors
    By Anne Robinson, Beth Spencer and Laurie White
    Target Audience: Family and Professional Caregivers
    This book is intended to help caregivers understand the many possible explanations for why challenging behaviors may occur. Practical coping strategies for responding to challenging situations such as agitation, wandering, incontinence, and resistance to care also are offered. These suggestions have been compiled from family caregivers, the Alzheimer's Association newsletters, books and journal articles. Pages of this book can be copied and given to caregivers to expand their ideas on how to intervene with specific behavioral problems.
  • Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh
    By Karen Stobbe
    Target Audience: Family Caregivers
    Written by a former caregiver, this book offers facts and insights on the topic of Alzheimer's disease. Stobbe tells stories and jokes to find the humor in successful caregiving. She writes: "Sometimes life is hard. Caring for another person is not easy. But everyone I spoke with - no matter what kind of caregiving they do - all agreed you have to find your sense of humor and that sometimes... ya gotta laugh."
  • The Art of Dementia Care
    By Daniel Kuhn and Jane Verity
    Target Audience: Family and Professional Caregivers
    Kuhn and Verity clearly illustrate how everyday challenges in caregiving can evolve into opportunities that celebrate residual abilities and honor and uphold the dignity of persons with dementia. Through simple, practical and thoughtful examples, The Art of Dementia Care awakens readers to the powerful realization "that you hold the key to the quality of someone else's life."
  • Inside Alzheimer's: How to Hear and Honor Connections
    With a Person Who Has Dementia
    By Nancy Pierce
    Target Audience: Family and Professional Caregivers
    Hidden potential can be discovered when we consciously focus on the person's remaining abilities instead of his or her deficits. Through simple steps and inspiring case studies, Pierce demonstrates how we can help persons with dementia transcend the seeming boundaries of the disease to experience profound moments of beauty, meaning, dignity, laughter and love.