Baltimore, MD (July 2009)-According to the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report released by the Alzheimer's Association, 9.9 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. With more than 40% of these caregivers reporting a high or very high emotional stress level and two-thirds of them reporting symptoms of depression, it is clear that caregivers are in ever-growing need of additional resources and activities to help them with their caregiving tasks.

To help meet this need, another book in the popular Two-Lap Book® series is now available: Wishing On a Star: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults. Designed to stimulate conversation and inspire pleasant feelings about common experiences in both the past and present, this delightfully illustrated book is the perfect way for family and friends to visit with a loved one or for caregivers to provide age-respectful activities. Depending on the level of language skills retained by the person with memory impairment, this book can be read out loud by the person or by the caregiver. For those who are unsure how to lead a conversation with a person experiencing memory loss, the book includes helpful prompts as well as suggestions for related songs to sing together as a related activity.

Author Lydia Burdick first developed the concept of the Two-Lap Book® while caring for her own mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "One of my greatest pleasures," Burdick says, "was sitting next to my mother and hearing her read the words from this book when she had otherwise stopped speaking almost completely." When asked about her reaction to the way the series has been received, she reports, "I'm thrilled to hear from so many people who are discovering that Two-Lap Books are a wonderful and delightful way…to enjoy each other and relate intimately during the progression of these difficult diseases."

The series continues to be embraced by professionals in the field of aging, as well as by caregivers and family members of individuals with memory impairments. These books help "bridge the chasm created by senile dementia," says David Shenk, author of The Forgetting: Alzheimer's, Portrait of an Epidemic. Alice Watkins, Executive Director at the Eastern North Carolina Alzheimer's Association comments, "We have been working with this special population for many years; we believe Burdick has met a great need." The first book in the series, The Sunshine on My Face, published in December 2004 and the following year won a National Mature Media Award for being among "the best educational materials produced for adults age 50 and over." The second book in the series, Happy New Year to You!, published in 2006 and received a similar response.

Wishing On a Star: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults

by Lydia Burdick, M.A.

(Health Professions Press, 2009)

32 pages, full-color illustrations, 11 x 9½ hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-932529-43-2

Review copies of Wishing On a Star: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults are available upon request. For more information, contact Kristi Maxwell (Phone: 410-337-9585, Fax: 410-337-8539, kmaxwell@healthpropress.com).

About the Author

With a master’s degree in Clinical Practices (psychology), Lydia Burdick’s career has been in human resources. Since 1993, she has been a consultant at an international outplacement firm. Her interest in Alzheimer's disease stems from her mother's diagnosis in 1998.

Founded in 1990, Health Professions Press is a publisher of high-quality educational resources for professionals in the fields of aging, long-term care, and health services administration. An independent company, Health Professions Press is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Please visit www.healthpropress.com for more information.