Greeting fellow book bloggers. My review of this book is that it is a very eye opening book. I think the author has had experience in this type of situation, the way she describes how the characters are feeling and how they are reacting is very close to how someone being diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia must be feeling. My two stars would be how she did the narration of Alice’s thoughts and the way her husband reacts to her original diagnosis with denial and disbelief. This is quite a common reaction for partners or family members when someone as young as 50 gets diagnosed with a disease that is mainly associated with older people. The struggle that her husband faced was very heartbreaking and touching to see how much he wanted Alice to be ok and how defeated he was when they realized she wasn’t going to get better. The description of the symptoms, treatments and actions that the doctors and mental health professionals is very accurate as to what they would treat dementia with today. There is no cure for dementia and I think the author makes a strong point that even though there is no cure, there is way to help the person living with dementia continue to lead a full life for as longs as they can. The family dynamics the author showed in the book is also very accurate as often there is disagreements between family members about how to care for the person living with dementia. My wish would be that the author followed through with Alice’s story until she had to be put in an assisted living facility and how important it is to research best home for the person living with dementia. This is a reality that everyone affected by dementia needs to be educated in and aware of. The story ends off with Alice living with her youngest daughter and enjoying her grandchildren although she doesn’t remember their names. Although this can happen it is a rare occasion, more realistically Alice would be put into an assisted living facility when her care got to be too much for the family which will eventually happen. Often times there is so much confusion as where or when to place your loved one that it can feel overwhelming. I think if the author addressed this issue more it would have not only been a good book but possibly a helping hand for other people who are living with dementia and their families. This was a good read, I enjoyed it a lot. I highly recommend this book for families going through dementia and for caregivers and for anyone whose interested in understanding how this mental illness is undefeatable but can be liveable. There is also a movie out about this book too, I haven’t seen it yet, but would like too. Well my fellow book bloggers we have come to the end of our Still Alice adventure, thank you to all who commented, hope you enjoyed your book as much as I enjoyed mine.

The book starts off showing the amazing career Alice has and the intelligence she uses to teach, lecture and travel the world talking about languages and psychology. She is proud of her successful adult children and they joy they bring to her life. The book ends with Alice living with her youngest daughter and Alice’s husband moving to New York for his new job. Throughout the book there have been struggles between Alice and her husband about the way to treat her diagnosis and then with the kids after they are informed of their mothers condition. All of Alice’s children are educated and know what the outcome of the disease will be for their mother. Alice’s mental diagnosis of Early Onset Dementia has caused her to forget names and relevance of her family members but knows how she feels when she’s around them. All these behaviours are typical of this type of disease/mental illness. I predict the problem will be the amount of time they can keep Alice at home. As Alice says “I won’t be locked up”. The family looks into different option to keep Alice safe as she has began to wander and lose the ability to do her own personal care. The placement of Alice causes great distress and differences of opinions between her adult children and their father. Often families having to deal with a loved one having dementia often is a cause for disagreements as everyone has their own ideas of how they want to care for the person living with dementia. I feel the arguments can be productive as it help everyone says what they feel and what ideas they have to take care of their loved one as well as relieve some the stress that they feel about what is happening to their loved one. They way the author portrayed Alice’s thoughts as she went through the process of dementia and her thought seemed to be plausible as to what someone with early onset dementia may think or react as the disease progresses. Throughout the book the author has kept up with one ongoing thought that Alice has which is the folder on her computer that contains the way to end all her suffering. This demonstrates the level of fear that Alice had to put such plans into place, unfortunately this is not a rare occurrence and thoughts of suicide are real for people suffering with dementia. It has been a while since I finished the book and I still find times where I think about Alice’s story and what would I do if it were me. What would anybody do?

Greetings fellow book bloggers….. We have come to the conclusion of our journey with Alice and her family as they learn to cope with Alice’s early onset dementia. The husband has decided to move to New York, however, Alice’s youngest daughter has moved into the house with Alice so she can stay at home. Alice’s husband felt guilty about leaving Alice, but as he states “this is an opportunity he’s been waiting his whole career for”. The children support the fathers decision to move and are more than happy to continue caring for Alice. So Alice is living with her daughter even though she only knows her has the young girl with the pretty smile. Alice knows that she likes her and feels safe where she is at. Her oldest daughter has given birth to twins and Alice enjoys holding the babies and playing with them, although she doesn’t realize they are her grandchildren or know their names. It seemed like it has come full circle with Alice’s children all coming together to make sure Alice got to stay where she was comfortable and could recognize her surroundings and that her husband was still able to take advantage of an opportunity he has been waiting for. After all they are still quite a young couple, by the time the story ends Alice is only 52. This was such a good book and my blogs didn’t not do it justice, I encourage everyone to read it, it will make you laugh, shake your head and help understand how the person with dementia maybe feeling.

Greetings fellow book bloggers…. So as the debate between Alice’s husband and their kids over the idea to move Alice to New York with her husband rages on, Alice finds herself lost about what they’re talking about but recognizes that it’s a very intense conversation. The oldest daughter reveals that she is pregnant with twins and would like her mother to be around to see them. Alice is brightened by the news that the dark haired woman with the pretty smile is going to have a baby, and hope she will be able to see the baby and hold it. It’s easy to want to condemn the husband for wanting to move Alice to New York but he is only in his 50’s and this has been a dream job for him. For couples struggling with onset early dementia this can be a challenge as one may have so many things they still want to do, I can’t imagine this is an easy decision for Alice’s husband and the guilt he must be feeling about wanting to move her away. So many emotions in the book at this point, hopefully in the next chapter we get the final decision…. stay tuned fellow book bloggers.

Greetings fellow book bloggers…. As we carry on in the story Alice and her husband have told their grown up children about Alice’s Alzheimer’s. All 3 children are in shock, and not sure how to process what they were told, however, by the time I set the book down they had accepted their mom’s diagnosis and have found a closeness with her as they all learn together how to keep her healthy throughout the progression and learn about what is expected to happen down the road. There are some arguments among family members about her treatment and they end up putting her into clinical trials. As all this is going on the author pays attention to Alice’s internal dialogue in which she is starting to forget people’s names but knows she should know them. She often uses descriptions such as “I watched the lady with the brown hair and pretty smile” she was referring to her oldest daughter that she couldn’t remember the name of. I think the author does a great job with Alice’s internal dialogue, as the story progresses the author captures what I would guess is a pretty accurate description of how someone with this disease might feel as they know people are talking about her but unsure of what they’re saying. At this stage Alice is relying on facial clues such as frowning or smiling to understand the context of the conversation. Such a riveting story, I find myself laughing and gasping and nodding my head. I’ve stopped at the part where her husband got a great job offer in New York and is thinking about moving Alice away from the home and people she remembers. say whaaaaaat?… stay tuned fellow bloggers

Greetings fellow book bloggers. As I’ve continued with the story Alice has now been diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia. Alice and her family are absolutely surprised by the diagnosis, as all of her symptoms could have been explained by stress, overworking and a busy travel agenda as she used to speak all over the world about the neuroscience of language. Its really neat how the author describes what’s going on inside her head while the doctor and her husband are talking and how she is viewing the situation. She understands fully what the diagnosis is and knows what the outcome is going to be. As she starts to make plans on how to manage her disease such as leaving herself notes all over the house and setting reminders in her cell phone to stay capable as long as possible, she has made the decision to read the books she had always wanted to and focus more on the things she wants to experience before she can’t anymore. Her husband has been trying to cope and help but as her symptoms progress you can feel him growing distant and impatient with her.
Her husband is having a hard time accepting the diagnosis and is almost in denial about it until he comes home and the kitchen cupboard and drawers torn apart and Alice is frantically searching for her cell phone that has become a security for her. The husband finds the cell phone in the freezer and the reality sets in. This is a situation that unfortunately happens in real life. Often the focus is on the person with Dementia and their needs but the family member’s who care for them are also going through it too. I’m curious to see how the husband deals with her symptoms as they get worse. Alice and her husband still haven’t told their grown up children about the diagnosis, I’m sure that chapter will be quite interesting…. Stay tuned fellow book bloggers.

The story I chose is “Still Alice” it depicts a woman who just turned 50 deal with a diagnosis of Early Onset Dementia. Upon listening to the first few chapters of the story, I was amazed at what Alice accomplished in her professional career and family life. Knowing that she was a Harvard Professor and knowing what was to come I had a deep pit in my stomach. She was such an educated and grounded woman. I stopped at the part where she got lost the first time 4 blocks from her house and thought “uh oh, here we go”. As I eagerly wait for the time to listen more, I can’t help but wonder if her professional career as a professor will help her understand how to remain as healthy as possible with this diagnosis.

2019 will be exciting, still not sure what the year hold but I am excited to find out. My resolution is to not procrastinate as much. To say I will never procrastinate is just silly, however, the fact that I am aware of it should help me curb it.