NEVER GIVING UP & NEVER WANTING TO Discusses Effects of Alzheimer's Disease

According to the Alzheimer's Association, every 68 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's disease. However, many people consider Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders as exclusively diseases that affect the elderly. Barry Tutor, a full-time caregiver urges people to understand that these diseases and disorders are not age exclusive in his new book Never Giving Up & Never Wanting To.

"This disease is not just the disease of parents and grandparents," said Tutor. "It is also the disease of spouses, siblings and children."

Tutor has dedicated his life to caring for his wife, who has Alzheimer's disease. For a while, he was the sole caregiver for both his wife and his mother, who also had Alzheimer's at the same time. Because of his experiences as a caregiver, he has learned the harsh realities that Alzheimer's has on family and friends. Tutor has not only had to endure emotional stress because of his wife's diagnosis, but also physical and financial strains.

"Many outsiders see caregiving as a part-time job," said Tutor. "New caregivers do not realize how much this disease will change caregivers' lives and for how long they might be in the caregiving trenches."

Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders do not have one size fits all symptoms or solutions. Each patient will react differently, often have different symptoms and caregivers must be prepared to react accordingly. Because of his experiences in caregiving, Tutor has learned the importance of caring for the individual as opposed to caring for the disease.

Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders not only rob the individuals of their cognitive faculties, but also cause their families to watch helplessly as their loved ones' memories fade and personalities become altered.

"I love my wife very much and not a day goes by that I don't pray for her improvement and comfort," said Tutor. "I will continue to help her in any way possible knowing the only thing I can do is be by her side even though she no longer remembers the life we had built together."

This is probably the harshest reality that all caregivers must face after taking on the care of a loved one, but Tutor will not give up his caring for his wife and hopes to prepare, inform and inspire other caregivers to keep going in the face of this silent killer.

Never Giving Up & Never Wanting To
By Barry Tutor
Hardcover, $23.33
Paperback, $13.33
Kindle, $3.99
ISBN: 978-1-4797-6048-0

Available at http://www.amazon.com. http://www.bn.com and http://www.trafford.com.

About the author

Barry Tutor has dedicated his life to caring for his wife, who presented her first Alzheimer's disease symptoms in 2000. He hopes that by sharing his story and insights he hopes to inspire caregivers across the country. He resides in Fairfax, Va.

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