Title: Journey Through Alzheimer’s
Subtitle: A Psychologist Confronts His Wife’s Deadly Disease
Subject Classification:  Psychology, Healthcare, Counselling  
BIC Classification: JM, MBP, JKSN2
BISAC Classification: MED056000, PSY020000, HEA006000
Binding: Hardback, eBook
Publication date: 27 Feb 2025
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-80441-923-6
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-80441-924-3

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Description

This book is the first personal account of Alzheimer’s told from the perspective of a cognitive psychologist, Dr Rick Gardner, Emeritus Professor of Psychology in the University of Colorado, Denver, who discusses how Alzheimer’s affected his wife. The author’s research background provides insights into what was taking place in his wife’s brain throughout the progression of the disease. In this unique book, he shares those insights with the reader in a way that is both scientifically informative, sensitive, and moving.

Journey Through Alzheimer’s addresses what is currently known about Alzheimer’s and discusses what is known about causes of the disease, describing physiological changes that occur in the brain during dementia. It also discusses preventative measures that can be taken to avoid the disease, and techniques that one can use to help diagnose the presence of dementia in themselves or in others.

The book will be helpful as a textbook for researchers and students in Alzheimer’s and in Clinical Psychology, and as a guide for individuals who are dealing with the disease in a spouse or family member; and for physicians, counsellors, and people themselves in the early stages of dementia, giving them insights into what may lie ahead.

Biography

Author(s):  Dr. Rick M. Gardner is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado Denver, USA.

Reviews

"A poignant and riveting love story packed with a potpourri of gut=wrenching emotions. Written by a psychologist whose wife succumbed to the dreadful disease, the narrative is bold, dramatic, introspective, edifying, and grief-stricken. His detailed analysis is a tribute to his beloved wife's remarkable courage that resonates on every page. But the real hero is Gardner himself for writing such an awe-inspiring book re a heart-breaking topic."
- Dr Nassario Garcia, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Historical Society of New Mexico for his contributions—as an educator, community activist, and author—to New Mexico history.

"Journey Through Alzheimer’s: A Psychologist Confronts His Wife’s Deadly Disease” is a moving, first-person account of the author’s heart-breaking “long goodbye” to his beloved wife. The inevitable tragic outcome that eventually separates the talented, vibrant and graceful Betty Ann from her selfless husband Rick will sadden every reader. Yet, the depth of their love is truly inspiring, a tale of genuine human spirit shining through even at the darkest of moments, illustrated by the unwavering devotion to each other despite a series of traumatizing setbacks. Rick was always with Betty Ann, supporting, comforting and loving her every step of that terrible journey, while Betty Ann displayed her amazing resilience and strength in her valiant struggle against this cruel and unpredictable scourge. Their tragic, but loving and poignant story is a profound and unforgettable example of real love. The book also educates by providing insights into the underlying disease process, and into the corresponding cognitive symptoms that afflicted Betty Ann. True to his life-long profession as an educator, Rick Gardner gives a lesson in compassion, courage and caring to his readers in this book."
- Dr Dave Albeck, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA.

"In “Journey through Alzheimer's”, Rick Gardner chronicles a terrifying, fascinating voyage from life to death, and all the stages in between. Dr. Gardner is an astute and accomplished psychologist whose specialty is memory. He is a perfectly trained observer for such an event, and as a loving husband is a perfectly tragic observer for such an event. You will learn things about the human mind and memory that you probably don’t know, and that you will enjoy knowing. So, you should get this book. You should read this book. You should then put it aside in a place you’ll remember, in case you at some point need guidance about how to face, with dignity and strength, a magnitude ten crisis."
- Frank Kutzler, PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University. Retired.