Looking back, we often forget that life is fragile, giving priority to so many things that are not that important, and taking time away from each other. I regret that.
I started taking daily notes when my wife was at the beginning of Alzheimer’s. As I observed a gradual decline in her basic functions and changes in her behavior, writing helped to alleviate my sorrow. It also helped me make better decisions the next day because I started to use my notes to help me as her caregiver. I realized that my experiences could help other Alzheimer's home caregivers and started writing about different aspects of caregiving over these 6 years.
In my first book, Preventing Her Shutdown, the title represents my desperate efforts 24/7 to keep my wife interactive, connected, and interactive and avoid a shutdown of her basic functions due to her Alzheimer's. The subtitle, Losing My Wife To Alzheimer's, acknowledges my futile efforts to fight for her life. The image of the candle recently flickering and now smoking on my book cover shows the slow burnout of a candle, just as Alzheimer's slowly shuts down life. I was attempting to establish a direct link between the title and cover and the motive and content of the book.
My books come from a daily diary of notes written spontaneously in real time at any time of day as events may occur. I could be taking notes on my phone, PC, or tablet, depending on what I have at hand. I am not limited by a schedule. Sporadically, there are several hours in a day, or just a few minutes. This is contingent upon the significance and impact of my spouse's behavioral changes throughout the day.
