A Dignified Life

If you or someone you love is affected by Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, you know the tremendous toll caregiving can take on your family. A Dignified Life offers you immediate hope and help with a more successful, positive approach to care partnering—an approach that is embraced around the world today.
Presenting the Best Friends™ model of care, A Dignified Life teaches you the “knack” of caregiving, which translates into doing difficult things with ease. You will learn how to work from a person’s strengths and become the trusted companion - the best friend - your loved one needs without sacrificing your own needs. Grounded in the latest research about dementia, this new edition offers a wealth of usable tips and problem-solving advice. Learn how to communicate effectively, redirect in positive ways, and implement many activity ideas to keep your loved one connected and engaged.
A Dignified Life, Revised and Expanded, gives you the support and advice you need to transform your care partner experience, including:

Virginia Bell, M.S.W., has lectured widely on Alzheimer’s disease at national and international conferences, speaking at 11 National Education Conferences of the Alzheimer’s Association and lecturing at the last 16 conferences of Alzheimer’s Disease International. She has published journal articles and book chapters, notably in Dementia Care: Patient, Family and Community (John Hopkins, 1989). Many of her articles have been reprinted numerous times: “The Alzheimer’s Disease Bill of Rights” (1994), “The Other Face of Alzheimer’s Disease” (1999) and “Spirituality and the Person with Dementia” (2001), co-authored with David Troxel and published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and in Alzheimer’s Care Quarterly. She has also co-authored four books with David Troxel, most notably The Best Friends Approach to Dementia Care.
Virginia is currently the Program Consultant for the Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. She received her M.S.W. from the University of Kentucky in 1982.
David Troxel, M.P.H., has become nationally and internationally known for his writing and teaching in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care. He has co-authored four influential books (most notably, The Best Friends Approach to Dementia Care) on Alzheimer’s care as well as numerous articles relating to Alzheimer’s disease care and staff development and training.
His latest book on activities was published in 2004. David received his Master’s Degree in Public Health from UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (formerly Rutgers Medical School) in 1986. David is a past Executive Board member of the American Public Health Association and is a member of the Ethics Advisory Panel for the United States Alzheimer’s Association. He currently serves as a Program Consultant to the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.