Helene Berger Untangles Choosing Joy in the Dementia Journey
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About Helene Berger
Prior to assuming the role of dementia caregiver to Ady, her husband of fifty years, Helene Berger held major positions of leadership throughout her life, in her home community of Miami, Florida, and across the United States. She is recognized as a powerful and inspirational speaker, and has used her voice and influence to marshal help for large and diverse groups of people with a wide variety of needs.
Choosing Joy, Alzheimer’s: A Book of Hope is her first book. It was inspired by the unanticipated, positive results that her husband Ady achieved after his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. It is a comprehensive guide, combining the concrete methodologies learned over the following six years, as well as inspirational examples and philosophy.
Although written about her experience with Alzheimer’s, her guidance applies to a loved one with any type of debilitating disease – as well as to all the meaningful relationships in our lives. It is a rare book of hope, providing practical and emotional support to both the caregiver and the patient. And all the while, it is a love story, and an honest retelling of a lifetime journey.
In this episode, we discuss many of the strategies Helene learned to help Ady thrive despite Alzheimer’s. Her techniques, delivered with patience and love, allowed him to maintain his dignity and individuality. These include her belief that it is better to ask questions rather than make demands, the difference between “not now” and “never,” and the wisdom that 50 years of marriage brought to their dementia journey. Helene acknowledges that her techniques may not work for everyone and may not produce the results she achieved with Ady, but they are certainly worth a try.
Read Helene’s AlzAuthors Post: https://alzauthors.com/2020/08/04/helene-berger-alzheimers-memoir/
Start reading Choosing Joy, Alzheimer’s: A Book of Hope now! https://amzn.to/3akdkat
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Connect with Helene
Website: https://heleneberger.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenerberger
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeleneRBerger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenerberger/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-berger
About AlzAuthors Podcast
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