Books About LBD, The Bad and the Good

There are more and more books out now about Lewy Body Dementia. Some are good. Some aren’t. Here is our take on a few of them:

One book we were asked about recently was Lewy Body Dementia: Causes, Tests and Treatment Options by Adam Wainwright MA, Erik Stevenson MD and Deanna R Miller RN (Apr 14, 2012).  We had great hopes for this book when it first came out. Like A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia, it appeared to be a fairly easy to understand overview of LBD although its presentation is a little more scientific.  However, upon reading it, we found that other than a section on testing, most of the information is similar to that in the Guide, but not as thorough. Also, it contains very few personal experience examples, making it a less interesting read. Although this book has been out almost a year, it has only six Amazon reviews. The last reviewer, back in July, referred readers to the Guide as a better choice. We do too.

Another book we see people ordering occasionally is Dementia with Lewy Bodies by John Hewitt MA and Michelle Gabata MD (Apr 15, 2011) The under $10 price may make it attractive but the reviews are enough to keep us from spending our money. Again, there are only six and the last three give it only one-star. One reviewer describes the book as 28 pages of subject matter, an inadequate glossary, and an unexplained 94 page directory of holistic physicians. A review from a geriatrician states that the book “could do more harm than good” and says he/she could not recommend it. Reviewers also note that the LBDA is not mentioned anywhere in the book.

A third book on our “Do not buy list” is The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Dementia with Lewy Bodies, A Revised and Updated Directory for the Internet Age, by Icon Health Publications, James Parker and Philip Parker, Eds. (2002). First, too much has happened with LBD since it was published.  Secondly, it truly is only a directory of internet resources available in 2002, and not worth the high cost of nearly $30. Finally, the single (one-star) Amazon review reports that it is “more for medical students or doctors and not for the common person.” We'd argue that even medical personnel would not find this book very helpful.

On the positive side, here are a couple of books that we loved:

Living with Lewy Body Dementia (Sep 5, 2012), is written by Judy Towne Jennings, a physical therapist who shares her expertise with her readers as she tells her story. The book is worth buying just for that. But it has more. She suggests looking at the Lewy journey as an adventure and doing all you can to make your life enjoyable. She and her husband traveled and she shares many traveling tips.

We also recommend Treasures in the Darkness by Pat Snyder (Apr 6, 2012).  As Pat tells her story, she writes about early LBD and how to slow it down. She emphasizes decreasing stress and being prepared. Her chapter on renovating her home to be able to keep her husband home longer is great. Like Judy, she also encourages families to enjoy the life they have.

You can get the Guide and the last two books by going to the  LBD Book Corner, on  LBDtool.com. While you are there look around and see if there is anything else you might enjoy. Thank you in advance for doing your Amazon shopping from our website. The small fees we receive from Amazon help to pay for our work.

Website: LBDtools.com