Sammie Marsalli

“The author is a devoted Alzheimer's husband caregiver for his wife with Alzheimer’s, sharing personal experiences to support and empower fellow caregivers navigating the challenges of caring for a loved one. He provides a candid, heartfelt look into the unpredictable journey of Alzheimer's care, offering guidance, encouragement, and a sense of solidarity for those facing similar struggles. He hopes to help others mitigate frustration and find strength in their caregiving roles.”

My New Role

When my wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, my world was turned upside down. I was no longer just her husband—I became her full-time caregiver, companion, and protector. What I didn’t realize then was that caregiving isn’t just about performing daily tasks. It’s about carrying an emotional burden that grows heavier with each passing day.
Unforeseen “highs and lows” of my journey are shared. My mission is to offer support, and empower our readers with prevention strategies and caregiving tips.

Home care without outside help is difficult, but usually, there is no other option. When behavioral changes and emergency events happen, professional help cannot respond in “real time.” Only home caregivers can at that very moment, with their only tool, “intuition.”

No Family Is Prepared For Alzheimer’s

No family is ever truly prepared for Alzheimer’s. There are no classes, no teachers, and no universal manual to follow. This disease is unpredictable, and each person’s journey is unique. What works one day may not work the next. What comforts today may cause distress tomorrow. I had to learn by trial and error, one painful lesson at a time.

As an author, I am certainly not an expert or an authority on Alzheimer's. I am definitely not a professional author and didn't pretend to write an authoritative masterpiece. I never pretended to be any one of those things. I am simply an ordinary “John Doe,” a 24/7 Alzheimer's caregiver husband, sharing my experiences and reactions and inventing therapies while caring for my wife at home with Alzheimer's. We have been married 44 years, have 3 kids now grown up, had a great dog most of those years, and are a typical family on our own, trying to hold on to my wife and avoid her shutdown.

Without me realizing it, hospice home care for my wife with Alzheimer's began on the very first day it was diagnosed.

This home care without any outside help is extremely difficult, but usually, there is no other option. Outside professional help cannot respond “in real time” when unforeseen events occur. Only home caregivers can do it at that very moment. No one has the exact key as to how to respond to these changes, as there are no two profile behavioral changes alike in the same stage of the disease.

There isn't a set therapy, as each stage of Alzheimer's varies in its characteristics. Only our experiences can be our guide. “What works for me may not work for you.”

As a result, I began to invent my own home activities and therapies. Family home caregivers find themselves alone, inventing their own home care to mitigate behavioral changes and needs.

I realize there are other Alzheimer’s home caregivers like me, “amateur,” trying to take care of a loved one with Alzheimer's. Like everyone, I was learning the hard way by trial and error to mitigate tremendous changes in behavior with my wife when they were happening.

As Alzheimer's home caregivers, we will sacrifice whatever it takes, suspend any activity we enjoy, ignore our necessities, and neglect our health to prevent our loved ones from “shutting down.” Whether we can see it or not, we know, in their own way, our loved ones are just trying to live.

Hopefully, my books become a shortcut for Alzheimer’s caregivers, to avoid some of the desperation, frustration, and sadness on their tortuous caregiving journey.

You are invited to discover what caregiving for a loved one truly involves and recognize the incredible power of love that enables us to do things we never thought possible.