Speaking Our Minds: Personal Reflections from Individuals with Alzheimer's

Being recently dianosed with CRS, see my review of Shenk's "The Forgetting," I want to know from others who have been there, what is ahead of me. I am a member of two ALZ support groups, one mixed, and one for ALZers by themselves. Recently at a social party where I was experiencing data overload, I confided to a woman of my own age, that I was diagnosed with ALZ. She immediately said she was also, and we immediately began comparing symptoms, just as other ALZers do when their caregivers are not around! This book fullfills my needs for the stories from those who are there. No story fits me exactly, yet parts of each show me that I am not unique, that I need not fit the popular mold, e.g. "Iris," of where and who I am. Just as the 42 stories at the rear of "Alcoholics Anonymous" give understanding and light to those afflicted with another incurable pathology, so do these bring hope and understanding to me: "I Am Not Alone!" There is an abundance of tomes dealing with the diagnosis and care of ALZers. Those few books which let one ALZ speak to another ALZ are far between. ["Living in the Labyrinth" by McGowan is another in this small select company.] If you, a friend, or a relative has ever been given a tentative or conclusive diagnosis of ALZ, run, don't walk, to get a copy of "Speaking Our Minds" to them. If like me, their reading capabilities have substantially deteriiorated, please, please read it to them!"Reverse Mike"

This book is suitable for anyone involved in the struggle with AD as well as the general public. I am the husband and caretaker of a wife who was diagnosed five years ago at the age of 53. I am also a social worker, and as I read this book I felt proud that a fellow social worker had written it. This book is full of up to date information concerning AD and it also provides an insightful look at seven individuals who are coping with AD. Lisa Synder has actually worked with people with AD for over a decade and she combines thoughts of persons suffering from AD with her own observations. In most of the vignettes, she writes about an initial interview and then she returns several years later to continue the dialogue and to bring us up to date in the situation. Ms. Synder demonstrates both compassion and admiration toward those she writes about. In the course of this book she dispells many of the misconceptions held by the public concerning AD. I don't think that anyone who reads this book will be disappointed.

As a trainer and consultant in the field of Alzheimer's disease, I constantly suggest that conference organizers enlist a panel of people with dementia to tell their stories directly to the audience. I also suggest that caregivers regularly ask people with dementia how they feel about events and situations -- What causes distress and what brings comfort? Now there is Lisa Snyder's book which does just that. Here are the real stories of seven individuals -- each experiencing dementia, but each a unique individual. Lisa is compassionate and understanding in helping them to tell their stories, but she celebrates their humanity; she does not pity them. Her interspersed comments are helpful and revealing, adding to our under-standing of the disease. When I cannot bring a person with Alzheimer's disease to my class, I bring this book and quote from these delightful, very human life stories. This book is definitely on my "must have" list.

Afraid and adrift at the possibility of a loved one being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, I raced to the library for more information. I ordered and skimmed every book on the subject, ranging from the medical perspective and clinical analysis, to the caregiver's perspective of increasing dilemmas to cope with. Nothing sustained or illuminated me. Fortunately, a well-read bookstore owner referred me to "Speaking Our Minds: Personal Reflections from Individuals with Alzheimer's". At last. The missing perspective of people themselves. So what happens? How do they feel? How do they cope? HOW CAN I HELP? For those who love deeply, this is a book to help guide the way to a new depth of understanding, personhood, relationship, and loss of fear, in relation to anyone with illness.This is a transcendant book. Nothing is given. Everyone is unique. There are medical realities we know at this time, and there are new realities emerging at this time. But, if we know nothing when confronted with illness, then we know all, because kindness can begin, and kindness can end.I would recommend this book as required reading in every high school, college, and graduate school on the subject of the nature of illness and relationship, but firstly to you, and to me, who travel the road of the affirmation of the human spirit.

Lisa Snyder has done a magificent job of putting a human face on this terrible disease affecting nearly 5 million Americans and 18 million worldwide. The seven narratives recounted in this book are filled with information and insights that any newcomer to the disease will appreciate. Mixing verbatim remarks of men and women with the disease along with the author's solid commentary is a refreshing approach to understanding the disease. These stories are illuminating,sad,inspirational, and informative. Not everyone with the disease can be as eloquent as the people quoted in this book but their perspectives can shed light on the experiences of others with the disease. My only criticism is that I wanted to read more personal stories than the seven presented in this beautifully written book. As a social worker and an education director at an Alzheimer's center, I look forward to recommending this book to families and professionals alike. We need more stories like these to be told from the viewpoint of those with the disease. The author has made a major contribution to the growing literature on the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.