Art of the Heart: How to Understand and Help People With Alzheimer's and Related Disorders

Art of the Heart: How to Understand and Help People with Alzheimer's and Related Disorders, Book I seeks to educate the reader about the author's various experiences in using artistic techniques to reach people with Alzheimer's disease. Ms. Frank explains her successes as well as failures in using techniques such as dance, visual art, and word games to bring out her patients' independence, confidence, and eloquence.

Ms. Frank begins by explaining the basics of diseases like Alzheimer's, explaining how the lack of independence creates feelings of incompetence in patients. They may be at varying stages of responsiveness or agreeableness, but she encourages the reader to try exercises to discover which will bring out the old self in a patient. She stresses that caretakers must work to help patients feel loved, connected, and as competent as possible - and that sometimes, this may simply mean sitting down and listening to what they have to say on a regular basis.

Art of the Heart: How to Understand and Help People with Alzheimer's and Related Disorders, Book I may be a valuable tool for a caretaker who is looking to work closely with people who are afflicted with these disorders. They may appreciate the author's firsthand experience with the subjects and the wisdom that can be gleaned from it.