Kathleen’s Comments (group member since Dec 10, 2012)

Kathleen’s comments from the Understanding Parents with Dementia group.

Ronda wrote: "Based on 10 years of caregiving experience, my book 'Creating Joy & Meaning for the Dementia Patient' was released last month by Rowman & Littlefield. It won Honorable Mention at the New York Book ..."

Thanks Ronda, I'll have to check it out. Best of luck with your book and efforts!

Just finished this book and thoughts others in this group might enjoy it. Here is my review:

Alzheimer’s Daughter by Jean Lee is a triple threat memoir with an unthinkable premise. One parent diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is a crisis, two parents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is a disaster. Dual diagnoses and decline at the exact same time is a tragedy of epic proportions.

Alzheimer’s Daughter follows adult sisters, Rosie and Annette, as they discover and manage the progressing cognitive impairments of their aging parents. Ed and Ibby Church are a loving couple in their eighties who’ve been married for over sixty years. Their two children are united in efforts acting as responsible caregivers to keep the parents they love safe through heartbreaking decisions, from the first telling hints of memory lapses through the inevitable end of life issues.

Lee’s familiar Alzheimer’s memoir format is elevated to a classic love story by the revelation of Ed and Ibby Church’s extraordinary courtship and marriage. World War II lovebirds, the couple’s timeless love letters are shared at the beginning of each chapter, written during their separation while Ed served in the Army. This touching correspondence adds a romantic element to keep the couple’s devotion, for each other and their family, central to their inevitable fate.

The dual diagnoses and deterioration, while difficult for Rosie and Annette to manage as caregivers, turns out to be the final blessing bestowed upon Ed and Ibby for a life well lived. The elderly couple’s oblivion to their plight helps them fade away together hand in hand, with neither forced to endure the other’s incapacity.

Alzheimer’s Daughter is a beautifully written tribute to the extraordinary love and lives of the author’s parents. The story offers a map on how to maneuver through the pitfalls of dementia care while honoring our parents with dignity and love through faith. The memoir reveals a modern day path many others will travel as dementia snowballs into an epidemic as baby boomers age. The journey of Alzheimer’s Daughter leads the reader through a tragic but rewarding love story with heart, like a true version of The Notebook.

I agree with you, Barbara. I just finished reading We Are Not Ourselves and really enjoyed the book. It was a great read and touched me at the end. Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well!

Hi Debbie, nice to "meet" you here. God bless you for caring for your grandmother through dementia.

Martha wrote: "I recommend the new book "The Mindful Caregiver: Finding Ease in the Caregiving Journey" by Nancy L. Kriseman, LCSW. Since she cared for her mother with Alzheimer's disease for 17 years in various ..."

A very thorough review, thanks Martha! I'll have to look for this one.

I just read this book by Maggie Barbieri and enjoyed it. While it's technically a murder mystery, Alzheimer's disease is woven into the story-one of the suspects is afflicted. It is dark and there are lots of skeletons in this dysfunctional family drama, but if you like that sort of thing you'll enjoy this book.

Very nice review, I'll have to check this out, thanks, Martha!

Hi Adrian, will have to check that one out, thanks! Did you enjoy it?

People with dementia are definitely "in there" for a long time, I agree. But in my mother's case with her struggle lasting over 13 years, I'd say she hit the "gone" stage for the last 3 years. And that was heartbreaking of course.

I haven't read any new dementia books lately, but I was excited to hear that the novel Still Alice will be made into a movie starring Julianne Moore. I think it will be great to raise awareness for the disease and the difficulties it creates for those afflicted and their families.
http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/juli...

Hi Sophia,
I'm still here!

The best book on Alzheimer's that I've read to date is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It's a fictionalized account of dementia from the perspective of the person afflicted. I found it a much better read than some of the real-life memoirs that are not nearly as well written.