Behind the Book

It's amazing how my steps in life have brought me here. Publishing this book has been a wondrous and loving learning experience. This is the heart and soul of my work; the core of who I am. Years ago, when I started writing some of these things down, I didn’t set out to write a book but I saw the need in so many eyes, that I couldn’t walk on by. I hope this book can be a resource that helps make this journey less painful for everyone involved. I have made many friends of those living with this disease and it's because of those friendships that I want to offer a shared public voice; something that says, "I'm still here... and this is hard for me too." Maybe I’m a dreamer. Or maybe, I’ve just come to know that the moments in between are what life is all about. We can live for tomorrow, or we can live for right now. I advocate for now because as my dementia friends have taught me... tomorrow may never be the same.

Q&A Forum

Q: What inspired you to write Through the Eyes of Dementia?

A: I wanted to take the fear and isolation away from caring for those with dementia. I’ve been in this industry my whole career, right out of college; and my grandparents had dementia, so I’m very familiar with the disease and how overwhelming it can be. I wanted to help put love and joy back in the caregiving process for dementia. I sincerely love this population. It is my absolute passion.

Q: Why should someone choose this book over another one?

A: Because this is a quick, easy read written by an industry insider. It’s essentially the Cliffs Notes for dementia caregiving. There are countless good resources on this topic, but I realized from many conversations with family and friends, that we needed a “quick-guide” or a “condensed version”, not a huge volume that gives you every answer you might need. That’s too overwhelming for families. Through the Eyes of Dementia has “real life” and personal experiences in it; and is meant to be an immediate reference guide for caregivers, but one that brings you a sense of calm and an “I can do this” attitude. That’s why is subtitled: A Pocket Guide to Caregiving. I want people to be able to throw this in their purse or bag and readily use it.

Q: What’s the best advice in your book?

A: I think it’s important to remember that they’re no longer who they used to be. You can’t bring them back, and it’s not their fault – it’s not your fault. It’s a brain deterioration that can’t be corrected. So the process of “accepting them where they are” is important not just for them, but for you. It can actually make the caregiving process easier because you’re not swimming against the current, but flowing with it. So I would say that the best thing you could do is to cherish the memory of who they used to be, but accept them for who they are now becoming and learn to love them unconditionally in the moment.

Q: What do you love about working in this field

A: I love getting to build personal relationships with those I care for and their families. This book is dedicated to those who live with and fight Alzheimer’s disease or dementia every day and the families that have changed my life forever. Through this work I have become a calmer, peaceful, and more loving human being and I owe that credit to patients with dementia. They taught me a new language; introduced me to a new way of seeing things and embraced me no matter what I looked like or how I felt that day. It is always a raw and real experience sharing life with dementia and there is such purity there.