In chapters like “Whose Fault Is It That I Don’t Understand You?, Hello? I’m Still Here! And “ A Silent, One-Sided Conversation with My Caregivers,” Taylor makes it very plain that, hard as we might try, we can never truly understand. He writes “...we believe we are on the same road, we are, in fact confined to our own lanes. We can’t cross over the double yellow line.”

“Taylor writes that, “The responsibility for understanding each other falls primarily on the caregiver and, as the disease progresses, almost exclusively on the caregiver...it is the caregiver who is best equipped to adapt to the observed changes in his or her loved one.”

He does, however, try to understand the caregiver’s plight.

He writes, “How can I know it is happening and be unable to do anything about it? How can I talk about it and still not understand or control it? I don’t know. I was hoping you could help me understand.”

“Alzheimer’s from the Inside Out” is a book that will move you, educate you and become part of you. You will assimilate some of what the Alzheimer’s patient feels. That will make you a better caregiver. If you, yourself, have Alzheimer’s and are on the same journey as Richard Taylor, you will definitely want to read his book.

I give workshops for caregivers titled “Looking At ife From Both Sides.” I will be recommending this book to the groups I speak to.

“Alzheimer’s from the Inside Out,” by Richard Taylor, is published by the Health Professions Press and is available in stores and on-line.

To learn more about Carol, please go to www.mindingourelders.com or www.mindingoureldersblogs.com.