This book describes how an Alzheimer’s home caregiver ensured that his wife, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and unable to speak, never forgot who she was or her family. Different activities and strategies are detailed to help preserve her identity and allow her to always recognize and interact with family members.
How often do you push through exhaustion, aches, fatigue, or low mood, assuming they are normal aspects of a demanding life? What if subtle symptoms actually represent early warning signs of accumulating imbalance in need of care before progression into chronic crisis? Understanding stress and the effects of it and having strategies to manage the stress prepares you to successfully handle changes and challenges in daily life.
If you are ready to transform your relationship with symptoms from bewilderment, anxiety, or dread into one of understanding, empowerment, and dialogue, this book is for you. It will equip you to interpret and proactively meet your body and mind’s needs through every phase of strain or struggle.
The author explains the three sequential stages depicting how untreated stress gradually compounds into health breakdown over years if left unmanaged. The author walks you through the body’s cascading attempts to sustain overload through phases of alarm, resistance, and, finally, full systemic exhaustion. The techniques shared were learned through years of research and talking to numerous doctors, therapists, and healers. A bonus Guide to Managing Stress comes with the book to help you identify your stress symptoms and choose self-care practices to manage your stress and maintain vibrant health.
Dr. Liam Foster is a celebrated therapist with an impeccable reputation—or so the world believes. Beneath his polished exterior lies a chilling secret: everything about him is a lie. His credentials are fake, his empathy is an act, and his entire career is a masterful illusion.
But when a high-profile patient steps into his office, Liam’s carefully constructed world begins to crack. Cryptic threats, buried secrets, and a relentless investigator ignite a chain reaction that puts everything he’s built at risk. As a vengeful adversary closes in, Liam must navigate a treacherous web of deception and danger where every move could be his last.
With shocking twists and relentless suspense, The Facade is a psychological thriller that dares to pull back the curtain on the masks we wear—and the devastating truths that lie beneath. When the lies shatter, who will survive?
A tale of unrequited love for the boy next door…
Prologue
Iris knew where Hamish would be. She waited until the sun set and the house was not yet still, but only murmuring, before she crept from her bed. She threw a coat over her nightgown, tugged on her slippers, eased the window open, and swung her legs out onto the oak branch. Moving with a familiar purpose, she shuffled along, over the fence, the way she had for as far back as she could remember over her eighteen years, then dropped to land on the overgrown lawn of the abandoned villa at Number 6, Honeysuckle Street.
The earlier frantic conversations and garbled shouts still rang in her ears. The Dalton staff spoke high and frantic, conveying horrid news about an overturned phaeton. Hamish’s father was abed and anguished, his mother had been injured badly and had died before arriving at the hospital, and Lewis, thrown hardest and furthest, was gone before the first passer-by had stumbled upon the twisted wreck. The horse, with two legs broken, had been the final casualty.
Throughout the afternoon, the rumour mill ground out grist of half-truths. Some said the earl, who had never been patient, had pulled too hard on the reigns and the horse had taken offence. Others suggested a robber from the shadows had upset the normally calm mare. The truth, when it was declared by the coroner, was more mundane. Moving too fast because they were late, a wheel had hit a rut in the road and the conveyance had tipped, spilling Hamish’s family onto the street like milk.
Franklin and Laney have an estranged daughter, a granddaughter they’ve never met, a sister whose husband has been killed in a mass shooting, and to top it off, today, their fortieth anniversary, Laney announces she wants a divorce. This is a story of family conflict and social dilemmas, but it is also a story of forgiveness, healing and hope.
From Chapter 1:
“Franklin, thank you so much for this lovely dinner.”
“You’re very—”
“And thank you for everything.”
“Well—”
“I think we’ve done a good job.”
Franklin sat up straight and put his coffee cup on the saucer.
“What good job?”
“Forty years is quite an accomplishment. I mean, it’s half a lifetime. Actually, it’s been two thirds of my life. By any measure, that’s a long time.”
“What are you saying?”
Laney was standing now, clutch in hand. Her skin wasn’t as smooth as it once was, there were lines across her forehead, some extra flesh dangling from her arms, but dammit, thought Franklin, she’s still a beautiful woman.
“I’m saying—enough. Forty years is enough. I think it’s time we put a period at the end of this sentence.”
“A period at what?”
“I’m leaving you, Franklin.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. If I wasn’t clear, I can say it again.”
“Absolutely not.” He looked at the surrounding tables to see if anyone was watching. “What’s going on? Is this some kind of joke?
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Laney didn’t blink, her mouth didn’t move, her nose didn’t twitch.
“This is…surely we can talk about whatever is bothering you.”
“You think so?”
“Come on, really. Every marriage hits some bumps in the road. We could see that therapist again, what was her name, always wore Birkenstocks, didn’t like me.”
“Dr. Rothman.”
“We could see her again. I could be more friendly.”
“You are the way you are, Franklin. And it works admirably well for you. But not for me.”
Chairs at other tables were turning.
“But I can change.”
“It’s not about you. At least not completely. It’s also about me. I need to do this for myself. Call it my Declaration of Independence. Life, liberty and, more to the point, the pursuit of happiness.”
“Happiness?”
“Yes.”
“Who said marriage was about happiness?”
“And here we go.”
“After forty years, who thinks about happiness? You’re just thankful every night that you have someone beside you, someone to pick up the yoke of life with you each morning so you can keep going. Otherwise, what’s the point? You can’t live a decent life all by yourself.”
“Franklin, did you know that over one third of adults in this country never marry? Did you?”
“That makes total sense to me. I mean, who’s kidding who? Have you ever looked at people? When I used to walk to work, every third person I saw was ugly, or unreasonably fat, or clearly stupid. Who would marry them? They don’t even want to marry each other? But the rest of us should be married and stay married.”
“My God.”
“What? I’m being honest.”
“I’m going to leave now, Franklin.” Laney put on her mask, the one that said, “I Don’t Want to Die Because of You.”
“Is it because I’m older than you? I can tighten things up, hit the gym, you know, ten thousand steps a day, the whole deal.” A confident smile curled the corners of his mouth, as if he’d stumbled onto an irresistibly tantalizing solution.
“You were ten years older than me when we married. I didn’t forget that for forty years and then suddenly remember today. Age was never a problem, Franklin.”
Franklin’s shoulders tightened and his toes curled. What’s going on? Maybe it’s menopause. He knew that could make a woman episodically crazy, but Laney didn’t look crazy, at all. She looked calm, focused, reasonable. She had a faint Mona Lisa smile on her face. Maybe it’s another man, he thought. A younger, more viral type (Of course age was an issue! When he had leg cramps during sex and they had to stop, she’d say, “It’s just an age thing, I’m sure.”).
“Is there someone else?”
“What?” said Laney, her brow furrowed.
“Another guy, a younger guy.”
“God, no.”
This is worse than being left for another man. Laney is leaving him, because he is him. His friend Randy’s wife left him. She said it was because she couldn’t bear the sight of him for one more minute. This left Randy in a terrible way. Two months later, he found out that Carol, his ex, had been sleeping with another guy for six months. The relief on his face was palpable. It’s better to be left because of someone else than because of yourself.
“Then why?”
“Like I said, forty years is enough.”
Franklin chewed what was left in his mouth, swallowed, cleared his throat, and coughed into his fist. He smiled at Laney, but she wasn’t looking. His neck pulsed like a snare drum, as he placed a hand on his chest.
“Laney, don’t you love me anymore?”
Laney had hoped she’d get away without hearing those words. She steadied her gaze and wished she felt sad.
“No, Franklin, I don’t.”
“Jesus, God.” Franklin stared at Laney, his mouth wide. “Did you ever love me?”
“Of course, I loved you.” She nestled the clutch under one arm. “Until it was gone.” With that, she headed for the door.