The growing number of readers who have relatives with Alzheimer's will warm to Kessler's excellent account of the months she worked as an unskilled resident assistant in an Alzheimer's facility on the West Coast. This facility, which she calls Maplewood, is a state-of-the-art institution, divided into small "neighborhoods" of 14 rooms with private baths, a common space and enclosed patios.

Whether you've been experiencing mild to moderate memory loss, or are in the early stages of Alzheimer's, learn the facts and live smarter, healthier, and happier.

"I'm Still Here" focuses on connecting with individuals with Alzheimer's through their abilities that don't diminish with time, such as understanding music, art, facial expressions, and touch. Zeisel demonstrates that people who have the disease are highly creative and emotionally intelligent. Harnessing these capacities, and using other approaches to treatment, such as building memory cues into their living environment, encourages independent movement and helps eliminate sources of frustration.

After a major stroke left her husband paralyzed, unable to speak, and with significant progressive memory loss, Coste became his caregiver while raising four children. Refusing to institutionalize him, she developed a humanistic approach to caregiving ("habilitation") that focuses on enhancing the individual's remaining functional, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual abilities by creating a positive atmosphere that promotes feelings of success.

For everyone who loves someone with Alzheimer's, Geist observes, there are markers and moments that tell you the disease is on the way. Her account of two years spent helping a person with Alzheimer's stay in this world is both travel guide and love story, neither in the conventional sense. As Geist makes her way, trying new things, failing, scratching plans, making mistakes, and starting all over again, she uses her professional skills as a journalist and TV anchor to incorporate conversations with other caregivers, consultation with experts and wide reading in the literature.

Combining the insights of a world-class physician and an award-winning social worker, this ground-breaking book tells you everything you need to know.

This companion book to the HBO Documentary Films series brings us inside the laboratories and clinics of the nation's top scientists and physicians who are clearing the path to a deeper understanding of Alzheimer's disease, which affects 5 million Americans. It is a fascinating story of scientific discovery that shows what recent breakthroughs might mean for improving our chances of remaining cognitively vital throughout a long life.