Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health crisis, with an estimated 5.4 million victims, expected to grow to 15 million by 2050. The disease also profoundly affects immediate family members, close friends, and neighbors.
Incorporating over thirty years of experience with Alzheimer’s patients and their families with current medical knowledge, the authors chart the complex emotional journey of the Alzheimer’s family from the onset of the disease through the death of the loved one.
They discuss the anger that rises in the face of discordant views of the disease, the defenses that emerge when family members are unwilling to accept a dementia diagnosis, and the common emotions of anxiety, guilt, anger, and shame.