WHEELING, W.Va., Jan. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Caring for a loved one who is suffering from an illness can be a trying experience, especially if the person knows nothing about the demands of such a task. Linda Goehring learned as she went and shares her experiences caring for her sick aunt in her new book, Alzheimer's and Aunt Alice: What Not To Do as a Caregiver (now available through AuthorHouse).
Goehring offers an honest account of her time as main care provider for her husband's 85 year old Aunt Alice. Her "journey of discovery" began one winter night with a telephone call. Although she lived more than 450 miles away, Alice requested help with chores from her nephew. However, that favor became a need after a near fatal tumble. Goehring and her husband moved Alice into their home in West Virginia and began the long, arduous job of providing care for the elderly woman.
Alzheimer's and Aunt Alice describes how Goehring went from a relative ambivalent about the woman's medical needs to an expert in providing care. Unprepared for the difficulty of the disease and unsupported by medical advice, she learns about most of the classic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease firsthand and comes to know the tiresome trauma of being a primary caregiver. She outlines the mistakes she made, the lessons she learned and the triumphs she felt as the events "unfold like a mystery novel."
Not merely a self help guide, Alzheimer's and Aunt Alice focuses on the lessons learned and the roller coaster of emotions experienced by a caregiver during challenging times.
Goehring is a senior at Wheeling Jesuit University. After her first marriage of 19 years ended in divorce, she worked for General Telephone Company of Indiana, was a leader of her church youth group and opened her home to those in need. Shortly after marrying her current husband, Mike, they moved to Wheeling, W.Va., where she is now active in the church and community. An advocate for anorexia awareness and prevention and a leader of a local support group for sufferers of the disease, Goehring was instrumental in getting the local hospital to start a treatment program for teenagers. Alzheimer's and Aunt Alice is her first book.
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