Who Is This Man: A Journey Through Alzheimer's

Who Is This Man is the story of Ray Methvin's life before and after Alzheimer's took control of his mind. Told by Methvin's daughter, Edna Eades, a registered nurse, Who Is This Man describes the progression of the disease, what worked and why, and the disastrous results of the wrong approach in caring for an Alzheimer's patient. The book provides vivid examples of the disconnected thinking in Alzheimer's patients and illustrates the disturbing changes in personality, moods, actions, and reactions that are typical of the disease. Eades' nursing background gives her a professional's perspective on the use and over-use of prescription drugs. She candidly recounts instances where her father was over-medicated and how his symptoms improved when he was weaned off drugs. Her advocacy for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers is a valuable resource for families dealing with the disease. This book includes insights regarding the use of medication, practical advice for managing an Alzheimer's patient with care and compassion, and tips for caregivers themselves. The books tells who Ray Methvin was and who he became. Eades describes how her father was deserted by his parents, taken in as child, and under the positive guidance of an adopted father, grew to manhood. Methvin served overseas in World War II and after the war ended, spent his working life as a professional timber faller. "When my dad developed Alzheimer's, we had no one to tell us what to expect," Eades says. "Consequently we learned everything the hard way, by dealing with the unexpected. We survived an unchangeable situation. There were no answers and no way out, even though there were rare instances when we could look into the window of my dad's mind. He would peer out and say, 'How long have I been this way?' before he was engulfed again, and the blank stare and vacant look returned. "I believe Who Is This Man will spare others from experiencing the hell we went through."