Title: CARING FOR NIGEL
Subtitle: Diary of a Wife Coping With Her Husband’s Dementia
Author: Eileen Murray
Type of Book: EBook
Length: 73 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Health, Medical, Dementia
Release Date: October 8, 2013
ASIN: B00FPKUTGK
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I saw this book on Amazon and when I realized that it was being offered for free, I knew that I had to read it.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as many other age-related medical conditions are not receiving the recognition that they deserve here in Canada. Obviously, Scotland is the same.
The population of the world is rapidly changing.
As more, and better, medicines are being discovered, people are living longer now than at any other time period in history.
The Baby Boomer generation has reached retirement age and are beginning to require medical care for diseases and ailments related to aging.
This EBook is a true accounting of one woman’s struggle to accept and to cope with her husband after he is diagnosed at the age of 69 as having dementia.
For four years following the diagnosis Nigel’s wife, Eileen, kept a diary. This became her ‘safety valve’ – {an outlet for letting off steam}. She wrote this diary for her own purposes. It was not written with the idea of publication in mind. She wrote this as “… an outlet for the daily stresses of caring for Nigel at home, as his mental and physical health slowly deteriorated.” In it she gives a frank and detailed account of the endless disturbed nights, his challenging and erratic behaviour, and the relentless struggle with his incontinence.”
Readers and potential readers need to know that this book is not a ‘self-help’ book, nor is it a book that will help you to diagnose dementia.
Now that you are aware of what the book is not, now I will tell you what the book is. CARING FOR NIGEL is a book that will let other people, who are caring for loved ones with dementia, know that they are NOT alone. That simple fact can be quite powerful. Caregivers may recognize themselves in some of Eileen’s descriptions. They can see that it is ok to be mad sometimes and ok to be sad sometimes.
This book should be read by as many people as possible, not just those currently dealing with dementia. This issue is something that will become increasingly common as the population ages and knowledge is a powerful thing.
I rate this book as 4 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“I feel quite lonely and can’t help wishing his admission hadn’t been necessary or that I hadn’t been instrumental in it.”
“I hope the Eastfield has a place soon but there seems to be a long waiting list and entry is dependent, unfortunately, on the obituary rate.”
“…if his last years were spent in a well-appointed and peaceful environment like the Eastfield, I would feel that the best was being done for him even if I have to sell the house to finance it. After all, all the possessions we have are due to his very hard work and, as a good caring husband in the past, he deserves the best care.”
To learn more about dementia visit
DEMENTIA.com – This site also contains links to worlwide dementia sites.
Amie's Book Reviews 