Resources for caregivers, families and those living with Alzheimer’s…click here for savings and values from the  line of products from Amazon.

Hospice of Michigan releases award-winning Alzheimer's Caregiver Manual

DETROIT, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia are one of the major causes of debility and death in the elderly. Knowing what choices to make when a loved one is suffering from advanced dementia during the end stages of life is one of the most difficult issues a family can face. Through the Maggie Allesee Center for Quality of Life, Hospice of Michigan (HOM) has produced a valuable resource to guide families to the answers they need.

This fall, HOM issued the second edition of "Caring for a Loved One with Advanced Dementia," a 28-page Caregiver's Manual for families of individuals with advanced dementia who are in need of hospice care. The manual has won the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Excellence in Education Award and is now available to order for $8.50 plus shipping at http://www.hom.org/mac/maccm.asp . You may also call 1-313-578-6301 to place an order or 1-800-443-0060.

"One of our physicians working with Alzheimer's patients saw the need that families had for this kind of information," explained Dorothy Deremo, President and CEO of HOM. "This manual was developed to help families prepare for and confront the difficult issues they will face as their loved one reaches the advanced stages of dementia."

The Caregiver Manual was researched and produced by the staff of the Maggie Allesee Center for Quality of Life, housed in Hospice of Michigan's Brush Park corporate headquarters. It grew out of an on-going PEACE research program -- Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer's Care Efforts -- funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant and was based on HOM's experiences in caring for more than 1,500 dementia patients during a six-year period. The Maggie Allesee Center encompasses Hospice of Michigan's research, education and outreach efforts to improve quality of life at the end of life.

The Alzheimer's Association Michigan Chapters distributed 10,000 copies of the first edition in 2002 throughout Michigan with funding from the Michigan Department of Community Health.

"As a patient with Alzheimer's or other types of dementia approaches the final stages of life, medical interventions can be more painful and disruptive than helpful," said Dr. John Finn, chief medical director for the Maggie Allesee Center for Quality of Life. "This manual guides caregivers in asking the right questions to determine whether or not to treat infections, should they insert a feeding tube, or should CPR be used if the patient goes into cardiac arrest. It helps them decide if palliative, or comfort care, rather than aggressive treatment is the best choice."

In 2005, HOM served 5,637 patients. 435 (or nearly 8%) of those patients had a primary diagnosis of Dementia/Alzheimer's disease.

In a Gallup poll commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association, one in 10 Americans said that they had a family member with Alzheimer's and one in three knew someone with the disease.(1) A person with Alzheimer's disease will live an average of eight years and as many as 20 years or more from the onset of symptoms as estimated by relatives.(2) From the time of diagnosis, people with Alzheimer's disease survive about half as long as those of similar age without dementia. Average survival time is affected by age at diagnosis and severity of other medical conditions.(3)

Hospice of Michigan provides comprehensive comfort care to people living with a terminal illness and support to their families. The organization serves more than 800 people every day in 45 counties in Michigan. For information about Hospice of Michigan services, call 1-888-247-5181 or visit the Web site, http://www.hom.org/ .

(1) 1992 Gallup survey of 1,015 individuals. For more information, please contact our Green-Field Library.

(2) Losing a Million Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias. U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment; U.S. Government Printing Office, 1987; p. 14.

(3) Larson, EB, Shadlen, M-F, et al. "Survival After Initial Diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease." Annals of Internal Medicine, 6 April 2004; pp. 501 - 509.