Beyond knowledge, entertainment and a great escape from the demands of the day, books have a number of benefits that can make life better, including their power to heal, inform and inspire. They can provide comfort, encourage reflection, reduce stress, and support you during the caregiving journey. They can take you to places you’ve never been or sneak a peek into the lives of people you’ve never met.
Tune into our recent event with authors, Marianne Sciucco, Tami Anastasia, Christy Byrne Yates, Lauren Dykovitz, and William Peters, as they share their caregiving wisdom and stories of their personal journeys.
Marianne Sciucco, Author & Founder of AlzAuthors. She says, “My writing and publishing career has led me to become a founding member of AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about the dementias. Our goal is to raise awareness of these diseases and to spotlight carefully vetted books and blogs recommended for caregivers and others looking for knowledge and support. Each week we feature a new author/blogger on our blog and I host a podcast featuring one of our authors. Visit alzauthors.com. A native Bostonian, I live in New York’s Hudson Valley, and when not writing work as a campus nurse at a community college. I love books, the beach, and craft beer, and especially enjoy the three of them together.”
Tami Anastasia is a dementia consultant, educator and speaker. Tami holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling, a Certificate in Gerontology, and a Certificate in End of Life. For more than 30 years, Tami has provided counseling services, dementia guidance, emotional support, and care strategies to family and professional dementia caregivers. In addition to her private practice, Tami facilitates several dementia caregiver support groups and has partnered with agencies throughout California to conduct educational workshops, trainings, and webinars. Tami hosted TAMS Health and Wellness on the VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel, and is the author of the groundbreaking exercise book, Toward A Magnificent Self: The Exercise Book for Every Body, focused on the psychology of exercise habits and realistic solutions to overcoming exercise barriers. Tami has been a guest on local television and radio shows and has published several articles on dementia and health-related topics.
Christy Byrne Yates is an Author, Licensed Educational Psychologist, School Psychologist and mental health professional with over 40 years of working with various populations. She says, “as someone who’s been squeezed in the Sandwich Generation, my aim is to provide resources, connections, and useful frameworks to help you make informed and empowering choices in caring for yourself, your family, and the people you serve.“
William Peters is the founder of the Shared Crossing Project and director of its Research Initiative. Recognized as a global leader in the field of shared death studies, he has spent decades studying end-of-life experiences. Previously, Peters worked as a hospice volunteer with the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco and as a teacher and social worker in Central and South America. A practicing grief and bereavement therapist, he holds degrees from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and UC Berkeley. His work on end-of-life is informed by his therapeutic work with individuals and families, personal experiences with death and dying across cultures, and his family’s own end-of-life journeys.
Lauren Dykovitz is a writer, author, and mentor for Alzheimer’s daughters. Lauren’s mom was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in July 2010 at the age of 62. Lauren was only 25 years old at the time. She quit her full-time job and became a caregiver for her mom at age 28. Lauren started the Life, Love, and Alzheimer’s blog and social media pages to document her journey and share her experience as a caregiver. She self-published her first book Learning to Weather the Storm: A Story of Life, Love, and Alzheimer’s in 2017 and her second book When Only Love Remains: Surviving My Mom’s Battle with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2021. Lauren started offering online mentoring services for Alzheimer’s daughters in 2021. She launched the Alzheimer’s Daughters Club—a membership community for women with a parent who has Alzheimer’s or dementia—in 2022. Lauren is also a contributor for AlzheimersDisease.net and a member of AlzAuthors. Although her mom passed in April 2020, it is Lauren’s mission to help others on their Alzheimer’s journey by sharing stories and lessons from her personal experience. In many ways, she feels like she is just getting started!