Fractured memories: because demented people need love, too
(Book)

Raleigh, NC : [Publisher not identified], [2016].

Book

English

1366315413, 9781366315410

"In 2009, Emily Page's father was diagnosed at the age of 65 with frontotemporal dementia, a form [of] dementia that strikes earlier and progresses more quickly than Alzheimer's, and for which there is no treatment to slow the progression of the disease. She began documenting, in writing and art, her family's heartbreaking and hilariuos experiences. As a professional artist, she had often turned to art as a self-prescribed therapy. This journey was no different. She utilized the elephant as a symbol for dementia, and incorporated sheet music into the paintings because her dad had been a jazz musician. Eventually, she created 40 paintings that are included in this book. She also began blogging about the range of issues that arose daily as the disease progressed, documenting everything from her own fear of getting dementia, to her dad's transition to diapers (and the various places he opted to drop his drawers and just "go"), to an exploration of how he might have gotten the dieasese, to combatting his compulsions like the need to "clean" the cars with steel wool, to finding the right dementia care facility, to the best ways to make him giggle. Page approached the disease from the fresh perspective of a younger caregiver. As her blog following grew, so did the calls for her to turn her writing and painting into a book. Page doesn't shy away from the ugly, raw emotion of life with dementia, but she also looks for the laughter where it can be found. Rest assured, you will love her father as much as she does when the book is done, and perhaps gain some insight about how to cope with your own loved one's dementia or how to support a caregiver."--Provided by publisher.

Local author.

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