Book Review: Palm PW. Put that Knife Away: Alzheimer’s, Marriage and My Transformation From Wife to Caregiver

Abstract

Reviews the book, Put That Knife Away: Alzheimer's, Marriage and My Transformation from Wife to Caregiver by Phyllis W. Palm (2011). In this book, Palm details her journey as a spousal caregiver to her husband with dementia. The author poignantly depicts the stages and symptoms of dementia. While Palm’s book portrays her experience as a spousal caregiver of dementia, it can be a useful guide for many primary caregivers living with a person with the disease. Her story reflects how a mind-stealing disease affects relationships of individuals tormented with dementia. Throughout the book, it becomes clear that the author's professional skills and insight as a psychologist benefit her in the caregiving experience. This is both a strength and limitation of the book. This book meets its goals, emphasizing the importance of obtaining a dementia diagnosis in the early stage of the disease and ultimately finding healthy ways for both the person with dementia and their caregiver to cope with a very long and difficult journey. Because this book is a memoir, it is not research based and is limited to the author's experience. It is written specifically for the struggles related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and would not be recommended as a guide to readers caring for other chronic illnesses. Despite the fact that the book is not research based, it could be a valuable addition in an academic setting as it exposes information not often learned in a textbook. "Put That Knife Away" is an authentic representation of the caregiving experience that does not deny the reader the often taboo topics of violent behavior and inappropriate sexual behaviors. This is an important addition to dementia caregiver guides. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)