Baby Steps or Alzheimers Disease and Marriage

Baby Steps: How Lesbian Alternative Insemination Is Changing the World

Author: Amy Agigian

Baby Steps is the first in-depth discussion of the issues and questions raised by lesbian insemination, and this book has been designed to serve the interests of general readers and health care providers as well as teachers and students in women's studies, gay and lesbian studies, sociology, legal studies, and bioethics.

"Patriarchy is a longstanding, durable institution and this book exhilarates any reader-heterosexual or lesbian-who is weary of living under its mantle."

Library Journal

In what appears to be an outgrowth of her doctoral dissertation, Agigian (sociology, Suffolk Univ.) examines the medical, legal, economic, and cultural issues surrounding lesbians' use of alternative insemination (A.I.). Agigian observes the obstacles facing lesbians desiring A.I., including state laws requiring a husband's consent before a woman can be inseminated, lack of insurance coverage for A.I. because lesbians do not fit the definition of infertile, and the absence of legal protections for the nonbiological mother in a lesbian family. She also considers some of the economic issues involved with A.I., including its high cost and the ethical questions surrounding the commodification of procreation. She closes with some suggestions on how society could change to ease the way for lesbian families and to give them an equal footing in society. Agigian includes good notes, an extensive bibliography, and an appendix about her methodology. This significant topic has received little attention, but the writing here is very dense and difficult. Recommended for academic libraries. Debra Moore, Cerritos Coll., Norwalk, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Interesting book: Il mondo di modo

Alzheimer's Disease and Marriage

Author: Lore K Wright

What impact does Alzheimer's disease have on the marital relationship? What can a helping professional do to help the caregiving spouse? Carefully and thoughtfully documented, Alzheimer's Disease and Marriage peers deeply into caregiving research and personal data on individual relationships to uncover the profound effects of Alzheimer's disease on marriage. To date, existing research only dimly illuminates patterns of impact, response, and influence of this affliction on marriage; Alzheimer's Disease and Marriage now fills the void. The distinguished author presents her findings from the perspective of both the caregiver and the Alzheimer's disease afflicted spouse that results in a highly practical tool professionals can use for optimal intervention and assessment. The author shows how Alzheimer's disease invades various dimensions of marriage and how spouses retain or lose awareness of each other. Among the marital dimensions explored are day-to-day aspects of a relationship such as household tasks, tension, companionship, affection and sexuality, and commitment. For each of these dimensions, clinical assessment strategies and guidelines for interventions are described. Details on how to approach and interact with an afflicted spouse are also provided. Nurses in advanced practice, researchers, practitioners, and advanced students of gerontology, psychology, and social work will find Alzheimer's Disease and Marriage invaluable in bringing Alzheimer's disease and its impact more sharply into focus. "Lore K. Wright's monograph, building carefully on past research, breaks new ground as it explores the reality of marital relationships lived within the shadow of Alzheimer'sdisease. . . . Practical strategies are outlined in great detail, from the kinds of questions to ask during client visits to the kinds of support necessary and available for caregivers. It is Wright's ability to take the research findings and translate them into practice which provides the major contribution of this work."

Table of Contents:

Foreword
Overview
Household Aspects of Marriage
Tension Within the Marriage Relationship
Companionship Within the Marital Relationship
Affection and Sexuality Within the Marital Relationship
Commitment and the Marriage Relationship
Conclusions