Dementia Memoir

An estimated 50 million people in the world suffer from dementia. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s erase parts of one’s memory but are also often said to erase the self. People don’t simply die from such diseases; they are imagined, in the clichés of our era, as vanishing in plain sight, fading away, or enduring a long goodbye. In On Vanishing, Lynn Casteel Harper, a Baptist minister and nursing home chaplain, investigates the myths and metaphors surrounding dementia and aging....

At the age of 53, Tony walks away from a life of journalism and into an unknown future dogged by self-doubt and financial worry. June is 48 years old then, a writer and a teacher, and over the following nine years she watches as her husband gradually changes - in interests, goals, and behavior - until Tony has a sudden fall, ending their life as they have known it.

In this highly personal account, Dr Gibbs documents the effect his diagnosis has had on his life and explains his advocacy for improving early recognition of Alzheimer’s. Weaving clinical knowledge from decades caring for dementia patients with his personal experience of the disease, this is an optimistic tale of one man’s journey with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

In 1992, Franziska Thomas had her first seizure and her whole world was turned upside down - literally. In Fits and Starts, Franziska gives a compelling personal description of living with epilepsy, an illness shrouded in secrecy and antiquated myths. Laden with self-deprecating humor, she describes her own coming of age - as an epileptic, a teacher, and ultimately, a mother.

In My Two Elaines, author Marty Schreiber, former governor of Wisconsin, watches his beloved wife, Elaine, gradually transform from the woman he fell in love with in high school, and who diligently supported his political career, to the Elaine who knows she is declining and can’t remember how to cook a meal, and finally to the Elaine who no longer recognizes Marty or their children. Beyond sincere, practical advice, My Two Elaines gives the listener permission to feel the full spectrum of emotions, including humor, even in the face of this relentless illness.

The Memory Chalet is a memoir unlike any you have ever experienced before. Each essay charts some experience or remembrance of the past through the sieve of Tony Judt's prodigious mind.

Acclaimed CBS News reporter Barry Petersen writes about hearing the unimaginable; what it meant, what it still means, what he did---and didn't do---and how this beautiful love story needs to be heard by the thousands of families who have already heard that same devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Even though Barry has spent his long-time, award-winning television career covering wars and events that shaped the world, he was not even slightly prepared for what happened to his darling wife, Jan, and how it would impact his life.

Carl Hayman, All Black #1000, once the most highly prized player in world rugby and a giant of the game in every sense - someone who was always respected, even feared. But at the end of seventeen years as a professional rugby player, the last eight played with the sole aim of setting up his family's future, Hayman's life began to unravel in nightmarish fashion.

Many people believe that they are destined to lose their memory or even develop Alzheimer’s disease and that they cannot stop this inevitability. These people are wrong! It’s true that there is an “Alzheimer’s gene,” and that having this gene can increase your risk of developing the disease. However, the power to change how your genes affect you and control your risk of age-related cognitive decline is really in your hands! The secret is in the foods that you consume every single day.

Into the Mist is a powerful love story that contains important lessons for general listeners as well as caregivers. The compelling narrative carries us through the unexpected ordeal of coping with the worsening signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. No listener will take anything for granted ever again. Lena's decline and Paul's devotion will leave us saddened but inspired as the couple manages to live from one moment of joy to the next. After listening to the book, we understand that death is not the end; it is the beginning of something mysterious and wonderful.

My Disappearing Mother: A Memoir of Magic and Loss is far more than a memoir on the devastation that comes with dementia, a cognitive impairment that affects fifty-five million people worldwide. Finnamore beautifully chronicles her mother's rich and varied life journey, from her birth in Puerto Rico during the height of the Depression to ferrying to the United States, in hopes of a better life. On U.S. soil, her mother, Bunny, started working as a performer for enlisted men, then became a secretary, and eventually a professional clairvoyant.

Step into a life filled with unforgettable moments and extraordinary experiences. Diamonds, Dogs, and Dementia takes you on an exciting journey through the highs and lows of Teresa Martin Pike’s life. From a birth just before the historic moon landing to heartwarming stories of family, friendships, and unexpected adventures, Teresa's story is one you won't want to miss.

On a family vacation in 2009, Dr. Renée Brown Harmon felt the first jolt of fear that something might be wrong. How could her husband, Harvey, a highly intelligent physician, marathon runner, and devoted father, be struggling to keep up with their guide’s simple instructions or unable to do simple math to calculate their daughter’s age? The heartbreaking truth was confirmed nine months later when he was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age fifty.

Leaving London to return home to rural South Wales, Robyn finds that it's her old life - same teddy bears resting on her pillow, their bodies tucked under the duvet; same view of the garages behind which she'd had her first cigarette and first kiss - but so much has changed. Her dad, the proud, charmingly intelligent self-made man who made people laugh, was in the grip of early onset Alzheimer's. His brilliant mind, which saw him building power stations and literally bringing light into the lives of others, had succumbed to darkness.

While fighting an aggressive brain tumor, Deirdre must care for her mother with advanced Alzheimer’s, raise her teenage daughter, and help her husband chase a new dream - opening a barbecue restaurant. Her greatest defense is her sense of humor in this tender memoir chronicling life struggles that are often tragic - but can still be very funny. Grab a tissue and take a ride as one batty broad battles her way through the tragicomic trials of her most perilous adventure yet - brain cancer.

If you know anyone with dementia, have been diagnosed in the early stages of dementia, or if you are caring for a person with dementia, then you should definitely listen to this story of love, loyalty, passion, and patience. A tale of never-ending belief in the future.

Regarded as one of the finest journalists of her generation, Mamie Baird Magnusson's whole life was a celebration of words - words that she fought to retain in the grip of a disease which is fast becoming the scourge of the 21st century. Married to writer and broadcaster Magnus Magnusson, they had five children of whom Sally is the eldest.

In Get in the Boat, Darlene Fuchs shares the powerful and poignant story of her father Richard's experience as a caregiver to his wife Gail during her decline into dementia. This memoir, based on the journals of Richard Sonnichsen, is a heart-wrenching yet inspiring exploration of the enduring power of love, faith, and resilience in the face of life's most difficult challenges.

In diesem bewegenden Buch teilt die Autorin ihre persönlichen Erinnerungen und Erlebnisse aus den letzten Jahren mit ihrer Mutter. Liliana gewährt uns tiefe Einblicke in ihr Familienleben, die ersten Anzeichen der Krankheit und die intensiven, schmerzhaften Erinnerungen, die sie für immer begleiten werden.

Mama Is Still Here! is a true story of an educated and accomplished African American woman who was raised in the state of Mississippi between the 1940s and 1960s. Daisy: a wife, mother, and everyone's favorite sister, aunt, and friend is admired for her swagger and confidence. But she finds her life spiraling out of control because of impaired memory lapses due to Alzheimer's disease. The devastating diagnosis crushed Daisy and her husband's world, and the world of their adult children.