Dancing with Dementia - by Jemi Fraser

I think that dementia is one of the cruelest of illnesses.  It takes away the person you knew and loved and by the end leaves little more than a shell behind.

I am terrified by it.  My own chronic illness will make me prone to developing it, and my mother's alcohol abuse put her steps firmly on that path.  Doctors told us how lucky we/she were because she 'started from a high base' but the losses were huge and heartrending.

It is also a sneaky beast and makes its way by stealth.

Which was sadly true for Jemi Fraser and her family.  Clues were missed and the disease had a firm foothold before they realised.

So she wrote a book.

This book.

Isn't that a wonderful title?

The book follows their journey.  They so often learnt the hard way, and this book is designed to help other families on the same challenging route. 

There is love in it.  There is laughter.  There are tears and sorrow.  Their love for their mother is so very evident, and I am beyond impressed that as well as ensuring her safety they worked hard (and continue to work) to ensure that joy is still a big part of Lizzie's life.  That focus was missing in my journey with my mother, which fills me with shame. 

Reading it I wept.  I laughed in rueful recognition.  And how I wish I had thought of some of the strategies they tried.

Sadly dementia is likely to put its ugly stamp on many of our lives. 

Jemi's book was released this week, and I hope that it makes that journey less challenging, and less isolating for many, many people.  

You can buy this hopeful, helpful, inspiring book here.

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