What I Wish People Knew About Dementia: From Someone Who Knows

Product Information

Notes on Reading The author has early onset (60s) dementia. It has robbed her of a lot of her ability to do things - she can't speak with fluency, can't eat with a knife and fork, can't remember what she's put in the microwave, can't remember she put anything in at all. But her ability to type has not been affected at all, the tangles and plaques have not reached that part of her brain, so she communicates as well as she ever did. A 2018 Japanese study found that as a cue for recollection in the elderly population, retrieving a memory through olfactory stimulus can be more effective than through conversation alone, and that this could improve mental health more generally. The report said: ‘It is easier for elderly people to recall past memories and emotions during intervention when practising reminiscence using olfactory stimuli compared with when practising reminiscence using conversation. Such intervention results in emotional stability and, consequently, may affect the tendency to decrease depression during intervention in the short term.’ No wonder I love my rose-lined pathway so much. Wendy has released a second book, called 'What I Wish People Knew About Dementia', which looks at the many misconceptions people have about life with dementia. Wendy used to work as a manager for the NHS at a hospital in Leeds and reveals “I used to be renowned for having a brilliant memory but it started letting me down badly. I came out of my office and I forgot where I was. The author's ability to write at a professional level was not affected in any way, she could type out her thoughts perfectly and wrote two books, this the second. She could travel around the country, taking pictures everywhere so she could see visually where she was, where she should be and where she had to return to and then give a speech. She couldn't speak off the cuff, but could read what she had typed out. Hence her miraculous-seeming ability to write this book and read it for the audio edition which I had.

I used to worry and try to fix things for everybody before, but I don’t tend to worry about anything now. I get anxious about it, but I think, “I can’t do anything about it now,” so I tend not to try and fix things for others. I had a bad accident before my dementia – I got hit by a car – and from then I learned things were out of my control. I do worry about my family, but I don’t worry about life or myself. I don’t worry about my future, whereas I used to before.” In her book, Somebody I Used to Know, she talks about her daughter’s cat Billy who kept getting fatter and fatter. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial.It was obviously very devastating, but it was also, bizarrely, a relief because it finally gave me a name for what was happening to me – ending all the ifs, buts and maybes. I knew what I was dealing with and could plan my life around finding out as much as I could.” What surprised you the most about the way in which clinicians deal with those with dementia?

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia seeks to help readers both understand the science and empathise with the real-life implications of the disease. Occasionally heart-breaking, sometimes hilarious, Mitchell’s little snippets from her friends are always grounded in reality. Many will be instantly familiar to those who’ve experienced a dementia diagnosis personally. When [Anna and I] talked about end of life, at that point I hadn’t discussed it with my daughters. It was important that I had the conversation with my daughters first before I had the conversation with Anna and we wrote about it. I’m still a mum, first and foremost, so I wanted to make sure they were happy with the sections they were included in, so they would read those sections and either approve or not approve [them]. It was a very open process between us all.” Pre-diagnosis, did you think you’d ever write a book? All through my younger years, I was guilty of wishing for the next weekend, the next holiday. Dementia has taught me to stop, look and enjoy what’s in front of me, to enjoy the ‘now’ things. There’s beauty in simple things, from a bird in a tree, to an object you love. Never give up on yourself – others will do that for you. You never know what opportunities will come, and if this moment isn’t a good moment, the next one might be wonderful.Revelatory . . . There are many books about dementia that focus on its biology, its clinical subtypes, its social dimension, its effect on carers and loved ones. But there are few memoirs written by the people with dementia themselves. Mitchell's joins a burgeoning literature of medical memoirs that, like the finest travel writing or reportage, transport the reader to another world that they may or may not visit one day

Yet recently, seeing local eggs for sale from hens she knew, she craved "the experience of boiling an egg once more". I have to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as Wendy Mitchell's first, Somebody I Used to Know. This one is somewhat repetitive. For enjoyment I would give it 3.5 stars but because of what I learned, and because I am amazed that she was able to write both books since her diagnosis of Alzheimers, it is a 5 star.But Mitchell tells us that there is a bright side, and she teaches us how to get to that side. She explains the problems caused by the inability of a dementia patient to find her co-ordinates or recognise landmarks when out walking; but that does not stop her from her long walks in the countryside. So little is known about the lived experience of people with dementia,” says Mitchell. “Even though healthcare professionals are starting to understand the workings of the brain, the experience of those with the condition can be so different from the ‘tragedy’ of diagnosis and treatment”. Last year, over 10 million people trusted us to help them with some of the biggest issues in their lives. Learn more about how we help. How your support helps Wendy emphasises that everyone is different,’ says Caroline, ‘just as they all were before dementia. In this book, she includes other people’s experiences as well as her own.’ Legs up,’ Mr Pink Man shouts in my ears as we come closer every second to the viewing area. I’m confused because I thought the landing spot was behind the woods.