I am proud to be presenting to my readers Frena Gray-Davidson, an author and Alzheimer's educator. Frena has most graciously offered to become the online consultant here at this topic, to assist in answering your questions and concerns about Alzheimer's Disease and caregiving.
Frena has lived with and cared for people with Alzheimer's for over ten years. Out of these experiences - and those of many others who have come to her classes or to the Alzheimer's Association Support Groups which she has led - she has written several books to help caregivers and families of people with Alzheimer's. I have included information about both books with ordering ability at the conclusion of this article.
Frena has also been the editor of a newsletter for families dealing with Alzheimer's, a dementia care home manager, an activity director and the founder of a model day care program. In all, a very active and caring woman!
I asked Frena to tell me a bit more about herself and in her own words this is an introduction to our new consultant:
"I was born and raised in Britain, went to Asia for 15 years to work as a journalist and travel writer. I was the NBC Radio correspondant for Nepal. Then I was based in Hong Kong for a number of years, traveling the whole Asian region.
"I had always been interested in healing, alternative medicine and various cultural aspects of health and well-being. In Nepal, my doctor was a Tibetan traditional doctor who treated my hepatitis very successfully with no aftereffects.
"In Hong Kong, I studied Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture with a 4th generation Chinese healer and Tai Chi with a Martial Arts Master. I also observed traditional healers in a number of other countries - Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia - and have always been interested in the mysteries at the heart of healing.
"When I came to States, in 1986, I was plunged into the world of Alzheimer's by moving into a house in Berkeley, California, to help look after a 79-year-old woman with Alzheimer's.
"That was my first exposure to Alzheimer's and I knew nothing about it. So I more or less learned Alzheimer's as I learned the other different cultures I had lived in and with - I listened, I watched, I sat quietly and it was in this way that people with Alzheimer's became my teachers.
"I believe this is why my approach is so different and why families and
