Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be one of the most emotional and physically demanding experiences for a caregiver, family member, or close friend. While the journey may bring confusion, fatigue, and heartache, it also offers opportunities for connection and compassion.
Thankfully, there are more resources than ever to guide you. In fact, books written by experts, caregivers, and even those living with Alzheimer’s can provide not only practical advice but also emotional support and insight into each stage of the disease.
For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of 15 of the best books to help you navigate Alzheimer’s care. Together, these titles cover everything from understanding the science of the disease to daily caregiving tips, self-care strategies, and ways to create meaningful moments with your loved one.
Moreover, many of these books are available as e-books, audiobooks, or at your local library — making them accessible no matter your schedule or preferred format.
Finally, if you need additional support or guidance with long-term care planning, call us at (207) 848-5600 or visit our Contact page. That way, we can help you find clarity, peace of mind, and a plan that supports both you and your loved one.
1.) Creating Moments of Joy for the Person With Alzheimer's or Dementia 4th Edition
Buy Here: Creating Moments of Joy
2.) The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss
When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another memory-loss condition, both they and their family face profound challenges. For over three decades, this book has been the go-to resource for families navigating dementia. This newly revised edition offers up-to-date insights on the causes of dementia, strategies for managing its early stages, prevention tips, and guidance on choosing the right care setting when home care is no longer possible.
Buy Here: The 36-Hour Day
3.) Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease Paperback
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4.) Surviving Alzheimer's: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers Paperback
I wrote Surviving Alzheimer’s after developing the Alzheimer’s channel for a pioneering eldercare site, an experience that led me to speak and write as a caregiving educator and dementia-care advocate. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of learning from extraordinary MDs, PhDs, MSWs, and many other professionals—as well as from countless hands-on caregivers whose wisdom is every bit as valuable.
In Surviving Alzheimer’s, I’ve distilled their most practical strategies and life-changing insights into a resource that’s fast, clear, and easy to use—because caregivers rarely have extra time or energy, even as the questions, worries, and stress keep mounting.
Alzheimer’s and other dementias don’t just affect one person’s brain; they affect an entire circle of family and friends. If you’re like me and my family, you’ll often feel adrift. Surviving Alzheimer’s is the lifeline I wish I’d had—a guide to help you navigate the storm and reach the other shore.
5.) Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer's & Other Dementias: 101 Stories of Caregiving, Coping, and Compassion
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia can feel overwhelming — but you are not alone. This book offers 101 heartfelt and inspiring stories from people who truly understand what you’re going through.
Created in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, this collection is designed to uplift and support caregivers. Through powerful stories of love, perseverance, and lessons learned, it provides comfort, guidance, and encouragement for every step of your caregiving journey.
6.) Understand Alzheimer's: A First-Time Caregiver's Plan to Understand & Prepare for Alzheimer's & Dementia
An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can feel frightening and overwhelming — not just for the person receiving it, but for the entire family. Stepping into the role of primary caregiver for a newly diagnosed loved one is both one of the greatest challenges and one of the most meaningful journeys you may ever face.
Understand Alzheimer’s: A First-Time Caregiver’s Plan to Understand & Prepare for Alzheimer’s & Dementia is your comprehensive guide through this journey. Packed with practical advice and helpful information, it will support you as you care for a spouse, parent, sibling, or friend — from the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s through to the end of life — with compassion and confidence.
7.) When Reasoning No Longer Works: A Practical Guide for Caregivers Dealing with Dementia & Alzheimer's Care
Nearly five million families face Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia every day. Most step into the role of caregiver with little preparation, relying only on good intentions to guide them.
When Reasoning No Longer Works is the practical training manual these families have been searching for. Written by a gerontologist with over twenty years of experience, this essential guide explains — in clear, accessible language — how dementia affects the brain, how it is diagnosed, and, most importantly, how to manage its challenges with confidence and compassion.
8.) The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer's Activities, Volume One
Help each person with dementia live their best day, every day, with more than 140 creative and easy-to-implement Best Friends activities. Caregivers around the world have discovered that the Best Friends approach enhances quality of life by focusing on the core elements of true friendship — respect, empathy, support, trust, humor, and meaningful shared moments.
With this approach, any staff member or caregiver can transform an everyday interaction into an activity that meets essential physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Each activity includes tips for personalizing it and tailoring it to the individual’s strengths, helping ensure success and reducing challenging behaviors.
Packed with inspiring and innovative ideas, The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer’s Activities is an invaluable resource for creating connection, joy, and purpose.
9.) The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer's Activities, Volume Two 1st Edition
10.) Dementia: Dementia Types, Diagnosis, Symptoms, Treatment, Causes, Neurocognitive Disorders, Prognosis, Research, History, Myths, and More! Facts & Information
Dementia is one of the most widespread syndromes in the world today, yet scientific and medical understanding of its many forms, causes, and complexities is still evolving. Public awareness remains limited as well — for years, many people have mistakenly believed dementia to be a normal part of aging, when it is not.
In Dementia Explained, author Frederick Earlstein brings together the latest knowledge about dementia — its history, types, symptoms, causes, treatments, and prognosis — into a single, accessible reference. Written for the everyday reader, this book aims to demystify dementia and shed light on the many types that affect millions of people worldwide.
11.) The Spectrum of Hope: An Optimistic and New Approach to Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Hardcover – October 31, 2017
Imagine discovering a glimmer of hope within an Alzheimer’s diagnosis — and how that shift in perspective could transform life for the nearly 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, as well as their families and caregivers.
In this groundbreaking work, neurologist Dr. Gayatri Devi — who has spent over 20 years specializing in dementia and memory disorders — redefines Alzheimer’s as a spectrum disorder. Just as with autism, she explains, the disease affects each person differently. Dr. Devi urges those concerned about memory loss to seek a diagnosis early, as timely treatment allows doctors and caregivers to better manage the disease with medications, therapies, and supportive strategies.
Buy Here: The Spectrum of Hope
12.) Through The Eyes Of Dementia: A Pocket Guide to Caregiving
Survive — and thrive — in the world of dementia!
This practical guide, written by an industry insider, shares the tips and techniques professionals rely on every day when caring for those affected by this challenging disease. With these insights, you can create a relationship that is more peaceful, loving, and deeply fulfilling.
Buy Here: Through The Eyes Of Dementia
13.) Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer's Journey
Across the globe, the five love languages have transformed relationships and even saved marriages on the brink of collapse. But can they also help individuals, couples, and families face the heartbreak of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis?
Coauthors Chapman, Shaw, and Barr answer with a resounding yes. In this groundbreaking book, they show how applying the five love languages can bring comfort, connection, and hope to the five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s — and to the fifteen million caregivers who walk alongside them. At its core, this book reveals how love can gently lift the veil of dementia, fostering meaningful emotional bonds even in the midst of memory loss.
Buy Here: Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade
14.)Mike & Me: An Inspiring Guide for Couples Who Choose to Face Alzheimer’s Together at Home
More than three years in the making, this book offers a groundbreaking perspective for Alzheimer’s couples and caregivers. When Rosalys Peel’s husband, Mike, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the couple made a promise to each other: they would face the disease together, remain in their own home, and live as normally as possible for as long as they could.
Over the next ten years, they defied the odds — challenging nearly every typical Alzheimer’s statistic. Together, they continued to pursue their dreams, travel the world, help raise their granddaughter, nurture their romance, keep Mike active, and discover new ways to communicate with friends, family, and each other. By staying at home, they also saved thousands of dollars while preserving their quality of life.
Throughout their journey, Rosalys kept a journal of their experiences, insights, and breakthroughs. The result is Mike & Me — an inspiring, practical guide for couples determined to live fully, love deeply, and face Alzheimer’s on their own terms.
Buy Here: Mike & Me
15.) Becoming an Alzheimer's Caregiver: What I Learned from Caring for my Mom
“It felt like a trusted friend sat me down and explained Alzheimer’s — clearly, compassionately, and honestly.”
In Becoming an Alzheimer’s Caregiver, former nurse and caregiver Amy Neuzil blends medical expertise with personal experience to guide families through the challenges of Alzheimer’s. This warm, practical book covers everything from understanding the disease and talking with doctors to managing daily care and making difficult decisions.
Packed with compassionate advice and valuable resources, this one-stop guide helps you care for your loved one — and yourself — while finding meaning and connection along the way.
Buy Here: Becoming an Alzheimer's Caregiver
