What’s been happening:

After a satisfying and fun-filled career of teaching, contract writing, and consulting, I have devoted most of my time to volunteering, traveling, reading, attending concerts and plays, taking up the native American flute, enjoying friendships, and having "fun in the sun!". I shared these wonderful experiences with Joyce, my cousin and best friend, and companion for 52 years. Much of the volunteer work has been with seniors, in hospice settings, with a variety of support groups, and in their homes. Joyce has had Parkinson's Disease for nearly three decades so a great deal of our efforts were directed towards others with more advanced cases. However, during the last two years as Joyce's PD advanced, our efforts have been mainly directed towards her. She has taught me to understand the full scope of caregiving. As a result I wrote a book about these experiences. It was initially titled "Caregiving for Dummies" as I began, as so many caregivers do, as a dummy. The book has now been printed and the editor and publisher felt that the name I used did not convey the message I was conveying. It is really a handbook on preparedness for a variety of caregiving challenges, including day-to-day communications. Joyce also has had Alzheimer's for several years, making the challenge just a little bit more intense.