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Book Review: The 36-Hour Day, a Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life

The 36-Hour Day, a Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., Warner Books, Inc., 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York. 10103. 1981. $4.95 (Cdn.). The 36-Hour Day is dedicated to those whose lives are spent caring for someone with a dementing illness or memory disturbance. The benefit of the book is that it is written by well informed authors who have relied upon a number of health professionals, such as occupational therapists, for pertinent information. Yet the informal style in which complicated terminology is either explained or avoided encourages the reader to feel that confusing behaviours are manageable even if they are not fully understood. It is written especially for the lay public whose lives are affected by having to become caregivers to family members. Even caregivers who are reticent to admit that their relative has a memory disturbance would likely find the discussion of how to cope with disturbing behaviours helpful and nonthreatening. Behaviour problems are discussed as though they are manageable. Thus, the book may serve as the thin edge of the wedge for the occupational therapist to enter into a therapeutic relationship with the inhibited caregiver. The objective of the book is to explain the reasons for behaviour changes and to provide informative suggestions to caregivers in order that they might manage the behaviour of their relative and retain some control over their own lives. Topics include clear descriptions and characteristics of dementia and memory disturbances, obtaining medical help, problems in daily living skills, how caring for a memoryimpaired person can affect the caregiver, and what to look for in alternative, institutional living arrangements. The information on medical and legal aid is oriented towards the American health and social se rv ice systems but that is a small portion of the book. Most of the information is of value to Canadian caregivers. Information on coping with daily living problems has obviously been written with considerable occupational therapy input. The suggestions are very helpful and may be of interest to occupational therapists who are unused to working with memory-impaired people and their caregivers. Reading a book for the lay public is also a useful exercise for professionals for whom typical client-oriented conversation is often infiltrated with the complex jargon of medicine and occupational therapy. It is an excellent reminder that conversation must be geared towards the level of the recipient in order for understanding to occur. Occupational therapists could make use of this book by referring caregivers to it as a source for selfhelp in stimulating their ideas about how they might care for their relatives and survive their 36-hour days. Myra S. Kennedy, M.A.(Econ.), O.T.(C)