Award Winning Author Launches Together With Alzheimer's Ezine

Portland, ME, July 30, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Of the 70,000 caregivers in Maine, 61% feel unprepared to deal with the impact Alzheimer’s disease has on a loved one and on themselves. "‘Relentless’ best describes the impact of caring for an adult with impaired cognitive functioning," says Catherine Gentile, editor of Together With Alzheimer’s Ezine.

According to Alzheimer’s Association, the 166,045 adults in Maine who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s require ongoing care and supervision. Gentile says, "Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is consuming work."

The idea for Together With Alzheimer’s came to her as she helped care for her mother. "The difficulties confronting my family inspired me to share practical information about managing this disease," says Gentile.

Together With Alzheimer's features: strategies to deal with difficult behavior, informative interviews, tips on caretaker health and well-being, and helpful resources. It shows the ways in which the caretaker’s behavior affects that of the loved one with Alzheimer’s. It gives tips on the important job of caring for the caretaker. It discusses how to advocate for the quality care you want for your loved one. It reviews ways to avoid difficult situations and shows how to manage challenging behaviors.

"One of the biggest challenges for caretakers is managing a loved one’s behavior. Those with Alzheimer's respond to the world differently than they once did," says Gentile. She offers a few tips: be realistic about your expectations; avoid confrontations and; speak in simple sentences. Keep them short and pleasant.

Gentile incorporates her professional background as a special education/mental health administrator and melds it with twelve years’ experience as a caretaker and advocate for persons with dementia/Alzheimer’s. "Years of advocating for my mother who peppered her Alzheimer’s with doses of philosophy, humor, and heartbreak certainly stimulated my desire to publish an ezine," says Gentile. "If she were still with us, my mother would be thrilled to know that her experiences are helping families deal with the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s."

Catherine Gentile enjoyed twenty-five years as teacher and administrator in special education/mental health facilities. In 2001, she turned her focus to her first love outside her husband—that of writing. Her freelance work has been published in DownEast, Maine Magazine, Writer’s Market, Portland Trails Newsletter, and online publications. Her debut novel, The Quiet Roar of a Hummingbird, will be published in October, 2013. She has completed a collection of award-winning short stories and is writing a book entitled, Practical Alzheimer’s. She loves to share her experiences with audiences and, schedule allowing, accepts invitations to speak at conferences and other gatherings. Contact Catherine at ezine@catherinegentile.com.