Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope While Coping with Stress and Grief is a new kind of caregiving book by Pauline Boss.

The book excerpt below is a “brief summary of the chapters, so that you can best decide which area to focus on as you read.” Read part 1 of the book chapter summary.

Chapter Five, “The Psychological Family,” introduces the idea that you may have, in addition to your biological family, a family in your heart and mind, and that this psychological family can be very comforting when you feel alone and isolated, or overwhelmed.

Chapter Six, “Family Rituals, Celebrations, and Gatherings,” focuses on ways to help you stay connected to others while you are providing care. Human connection is essential to your well-being, and rituals are a way to make such connections regularly.

Chapter Seven, “Seven Guidelines for the Journey,” is the core of the book. It provides guidelines for finding your way on your long and arduous journey with dementia. I intentionally use the term guidelines rather than tips or rules, because I want these ideas to be useful to a broader diversity of families and caregivers who have varying beliefs and values.

Chapter Eight, “Delicious Ambiguity,” presents the positive side of dementia’s ambiguity. Without romanticizing the pain, seeing the good side gives you back some sense of control and takes away some of the terror.

Chapter Nine, “The Good-Enough Relationship,” suggests that a “good-enough” relationship can be good. In fact, most of us already have had such relationships, because loved ones are fully present both physically and psychologically. That experience can help you now as you experience your more extreme situation with dementia.

You can purchase the book at a discount from our store.