Great Books—Thriller Books—Mystery Stories

HERE’S WHAT THE ELDERCARE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:

 

“As the distraught family member of a dementia sufferer I found this book to be OUTSTANDING—entertaining—informative…a Neil Simon laugh and cry scenario. Other books miss the emotional reality that engulfs both the afflicted and the caregiver. Dementia Diary fills this gap with dignity and warmth. Every reader will benefit greatly, as did I.”—Tom Cranshaw, CEO, Tri-County Mental Health Services, Kansas City, MO.

 

"Dementia Diary: A Caregiver's Journal," is personal, warm and witty. It's also heartbreaking. Tell is open with the pain one suffers watching the personality changes dementia brings to a beloved parent. He is an only child. This brings a unique loneliness in handling the sometimes slow, often startling changes dementia can bring. There is a deep feeling that no one can truly understand. Tell brings this home powerfully in his memoir. I have already recommended it to readers of my column and by email, when I coach people through their personal caregiving pain.

 

Tell's story about his mother's watch had me laughing out loud, as I experienced the same thing with my mother, my mother-in-law and my dad. There is no logical need for a watch battery to be replaced immediately, when an elder is in a nursing facility. There are clocks all over and people to take the elder wherever they need to go. But they must have their watch. My dad couldn't even see the extra large face of his, but he somehow knew if the battery quit. The watch story is just one of the many - nearly universal - stories Tell offers the reader.

 

There are many dementias other than the well-known Alzheimer's. I had three elders with dementia. Each was different. It's good to get the word out that all dementia is not Alzheimer's. I will continue to recommend Robert Tell's book to anyone feeling the isolation of a caregiver - especially an only child.”

—Carol Bradley Bursack, Author/Speaker/Columnist, Minding Our Elders, Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories, www.mindingourelders.com

 

"Yesterday your book arrived. My mother is visiting us and she started reading it right away. She says it is wonderful, clear, concise and tells your story so very well. Her sister died recently. She was 96. Also had dementia. She could see and understand her sister's symptoms so much better now. She thinks it will be a BIG help to others who are experiencing what you have been going through. She is 90 and is looking forward to your next book."—John Biebel, former CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital, Tampa.

 

“This sensitive and well written semi-autobiography is unusual for its male perspective and a must read for all who are going through the challenging years of caring for an elderly parent. It educates the reader about many significant issues such as geriatricare management, driving and pre-need funeral planning--to mention just a few.”—Dr. Seth B. Goldsmith, Author of Choosing A Nursing Home (1991 Book of the Year, Library Journal) and Former CEO of the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged.

 

“Robert Tell's story should be familiar to anyone who has cared for a parent or a spouse in the throes of dementia. But if it isn't, his book may still be worth reading for its warmth and insight into questions of mortality and identity. Essentially, Tell's book probes deeply into Millie's condition—a disease called Multi-Infarct Dementia, which is similar to Alzheimer's but caused by ministrokes—and his own mortality as they stumble through the darkness together. Tell is the only son and his mother's closest surviving family member..." —Julie Edgar, Detroit Free Press

 

“Tell’s book give a compassionate, often witty glimpse into the roller-coaster emotions and daily stresses he encountered balancing family and work with his mother’s worsening condition. Not only does he discuss the little physical signs families often miss when a loved one begins losing cognitive ability, but he also gives male caregivers a voice in his quickly paced memoir.”—Kerry Guten Cohen, Detroit Jewish News