An OCEAN OF TIME: Alzheimer's: Tales of Hope and Forgetting

by Patrick Mathiasen

The author, a geriatric psychiatrist, presents personal accounts of a dozen patients, illustrating the progression of Alzheimer's and sufferers' and family members' means of coping. Offers insight on diagnosis and treatment of the disease and promising research. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 6, 1997

Reviews

[Charity Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes

1. Alzheimer’s disease can bring families together. And it can push them apart. It brings out the good and bad in our relationships, and it holds these qualities up for us to see. The view is not always pleasant, but it is intense like a hot ember smoldering deep in our relationships with one another, flashing up at unexpected times to ignite our deepest emotions

2. Sometimes we say, “I’d rather be dead”. To outsiders, Alzheimer’s is a condition without hope, A malady that strips us of our humanity and leaves us without that thing most essential for us to remain human: our hope.

3. Alzheimer’s disease touches our deepest fear. The fear of losing control. The fear of losing our minds. The fear of becoming somethings not completely human as those around us watch helplessly. These fears are perhaps stronger than the fear of death, for Alzheimer’s disease is viewed by many of us as a walking death, a disease that strips us of all the things that make us human

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Greek mythology the dead began their descent down the river Styx. The river was shrouded in mystery, fear, and doubting. It is the same with Alzheimer's disease. Often, it seems that the Alzheimer's patient has begun the trip in advance of dying. Their world, like the Styx, seems engulfed in darkness and uncertainty, both spatial and temporal. On such a dark and lonely journey, a guide would be a necessity. On the darkest of days, An Ocean of Time: Alzheimer's: Tales of Hope and Forgetting, is such a guide. The author, Patrick Mathiasen, MD, is the Medical Director of the Northwest Hospital Geriatric Psychiatry Center.
Mathiasen weaves together information about the disease process with vignettes from the lives of his Alzheimer's patients. If you are a caregiver looking for an Alzheimer's 101 text, choose another book. An Ocean of Time is geared towards those who have seen their loved one mentally kidnapped and wonder where they are. It assists the caregiver in understanding the "windows" that are typical of the disease. It helps caregivers to dialogue meaningfully with their loved one, especially when those "windows" occur. Indeed, I had a greater sense of hope and imagination about the disease as a result of its mystery. There have been many wonderful books about caring for these patients, but few have invited us to enter into their world, and even fewer to ascribe meaning and hope to the experience. Mathiasen does so with passion.
If you are in need of a guide on that dark and lonely river, this is the book for you.