Laughing, Learning and Loving with Dementia: Sharing Joy and Encouragement with Families and Caregivers

Sudden Onset Vascular Dementia. That’s what my then 83-year-old mother was diagnosed with in 2012′ and that’s when our unexpected journey began. There are difficult stages that everyone will encounter, but I must admit that my favorite one with Mom was our Middle Stage. I wish that we could have stayed there the entire 9 1/2 years and just enjoyed the laughter together. There were so many funny things that she said and did that were uncharacteristic. This behavior is quite common among over an estimated 50 million people worldwide who are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Laughing, Learning and Loving with Dementia is a collaboration of humorous and compassionate short stories created from my blog that were written throughout three years. They are personal experiences that have been said by others to be inspirational and uplifting. It will create a bond with caregivers through humor, encouragement and personal advice. The viewpoints offered after each short story is called the Dementia Zone. They are learning experiences that can be applied to various situations to help caregivers cut down on stress by using humor and creativity. Through these uplifting stories, readers will understand the importance of empathy, patience, compassion, depending on family and friends and faith. This book is written as though it is a warm journal filled with joy yet an incredibly resilient story about the deep love throughout a mother/daughter relationship while living with dementia. Sadly, my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer, but I still find a moment every day to smile about something that she had said or done. Through our journey I learned that it is important for both parties involved to appreciate the positive and beauty instead of traveling down a dark path of despair. Lighten your load by soothing the soul. I invite you to join us on a journey of endurance, patience and compassion. Join us on a journey of love by getting your copy of Laughing, Learning and Loving with Dementia, today!