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'Til Death Do Us Part: A story of a lifetime of devotion
In this book, appropriately titled ‘Til Death Do Us Part, the reader may identify with the compassion of one care giver in comparison with the brutality of the disease itself. Hopefully it will enlighten and offer support to those in need. When I think of who my mother was in her prime, and who she became in the end, it’s like imagining two different people. She too was a graduate from nursing school in 1943. Care giving was natural for her. She came from a large family of seven children who worked hard on their farm to make ends meet. She helped provide for the family and took care of her younger siblings. She enjoyed working in the hospital and felt at ease among the halls of medicine. She never would have wanted her life to become so dependent upon others but unfortunately, her nurturing role was reversed. My father stepped into the role of care giver for 15 years as she helplessly became the unwilling recipient. My greatest hope for today is to spread awareness of the disease and support extensive research for the promise of a cure once and for all.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 16, 2013
This is a sensitive and tricky book to review. This book was not meant to be to be presented to a public forum. It started as a memoir for the author's father and close relatives. She was encouraged to take it to the next step to offer some understanding to other families managing through Alzheimer's disease.
While the author did a great job of capturing the progression of her Mother's illness and captured her Father's love and devotion, it was through her eyes. Yes, they are her parents but I did not get the feeling that she was with them all the time. It felt like an anonymous outsider looking in wrote the book. This memoir should have stayed in the family until she developed it more.
My heart felt for this husband and wife. My eyes glazed over reading the love and pain. I smiled at the intimate memories the author let us become a part of. But if you want to show the dedication of love Ray has, I want to hear more of how he was feeling. I would have liked to know what her Mom thought, in the beginning stages, dealing with losing periods of time. I would have liked a more detailed breakdown of the disease in her Mom. And the About the Disease section, do not just advocate that this is what researchers need to do. Show me a diagram because I had no idea what you were talking about. I felt that way a lot though out the book. Yes, this is geared more towards other families and having this common bond, but I read this book and I become terrified of Alzheimer's. What if my Mom or Dad has the gene and start to lose themselves? To me, this book showed 15 years of pain, but gave no education, no support and no tips to people who may encounter this disease in the future.
Great memoir for the family, but I did not feel great after reading this book. I had more questions, and questions that could have been answered by the author. I am the first to admit that I am a little harder with reviews for biographies or autobiographies because the authors write for themselves and not for the mainstream and a lot is lost in translation.
Until next time, take life one page at a time!
*NOTE: I know what it is like to be with someone 24/7 and taking care of all their needs, even the yucky ones. Granted, it was only for one year and not fifteen, but I do understand.
While the author did a great job of capturing the progression of her Mother's illness and captured her Father's love and devotion, it was through her eyes. Yes, they are her parents but I did not get the feeling that she was with them all the time. It felt like an anonymous outsider looking in wrote the book. This memoir should have stayed in the family until she developed it more.
My heart felt for this husband and wife. My eyes glazed over reading the love and pain. I smiled at the intimate memories the author let us become a part of. But if you want to show the dedication of love Ray has, I want to hear more of how he was feeling. I would have liked to know what her Mom thought, in the beginning stages, dealing with losing periods of time. I would have liked a more detailed breakdown of the disease in her Mom. And the About the Disease section, do not just advocate that this is what researchers need to do. Show me a diagram because I had no idea what you were talking about. I felt that way a lot though out the book. Yes, this is geared more towards other families and having this common bond, but I read this book and I become terrified of Alzheimer's. What if my Mom or Dad has the gene and start to lose themselves? To me, this book showed 15 years of pain, but gave no education, no support and no tips to people who may encounter this disease in the future.
Great memoir for the family, but I did not feel great after reading this book. I had more questions, and questions that could have been answered by the author. I am the first to admit that I am a little harder with reviews for biographies or autobiographies because the authors write for themselves and not for the mainstream and a lot is lost in translation.
Until next time, take life one page at a time!
*NOTE: I know what it is like to be with someone 24/7 and taking care of all their needs, even the yucky ones. Granted, it was only for one year and not fifteen, but I do understand.
November 25, 2012
Having lived this book, I can say that the author, my mother, did a wonderful job of capturing a story of a disease that is all too common these days. I'm sure that the experiences our family endured in this book are similar to the stories of thousands of families around the world. This disease NEEDS to be cured but in the mean time we all need to help support each other and share the tips and tricks that we've learned during our encounters with it. My grandfather had wonderful methods of helping my grandmother always feel comfortable and loved and for that he was rewarded with seeing her smile for many years.
This book is an honest account of the disease and doesn't leave out the hardships that you will be faced with. It offers insight into the mind and duties of a caretaker and family which may be helpful, if not for ideas of how to deal with the disease, then simply to let you know you are not alone.
This book is an honest account of the disease and doesn't leave out the hardships that you will be faced with. It offers insight into the mind and duties of a caretaker and family which may be helpful, if not for ideas of how to deal with the disease, then simply to let you know you are not alone.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews