Somebody I Used To Know

As we age we’ve all had moments when we think we are in the beginning stages of memory loss. For English author, Wendy Mitchell, at age 57 she was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s. The year was 2014. Since then she has written three books.

The first book is called Somebody I Used to Know, the second What I Wish People Knew About Dementia and her latest, One Last Thing published in June of this year.

Wendy is an independent single Mom who was a runner, worked in the British National Health Service and raised two daughters. While the diagnosis was scary, she immediately began to find ways to outwit this nasty disease.

As I read Somebody I Used To Know her determination, sunny outlook and resourcefulness amazed me. I subscribe to her daily BLOG called Which Me Am I Today and can be found at www.whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com

Since her diagnosis, Wendy devotes her time to educating doctors, nurses, caregivers and other people who live with or care for those with dementia.

She travels independently to conferences (armed with her IPAD, maps and photos of buildings to help her as she goes), reads her speeches (so she isn’t distracted or loses words) and uses technology (sets alarms) to help her remember to eat, to take her medication and other such routines.

What I liked about this book, as I read it for the second time, is it gives hope for those living with this disease. I wish I had read it as my own in-laws and parents aged as it subtly gives strategies on respectful ways to assist, yet not take away independence.

We had a good friend who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his first inkling that something wasn’t quite right was he didn’t seem to see what was right in front of him. Hence when he brought home milk from the store he discovered he already had many containers in the fridge. Or when he looked for the salt on the table and asked where it was, his wife would say “Right in front of you.” And it was.

When Wendy found that she couldn’t remember what was in her cupboards, she typed out a list of each cupboards’ contents and taped it to each door.

One observation she makes is that because she lives on her own she has had to do things for herself. She believes this has helped her develop coping strategies. People who live with someone with Alzheimer’s often help out too much causing the person to give up and feel like a burden.

The love Wendy has for her two daughters permeates the entire book. She faces the disease reaslisticlly, continues to educate herself, even moved to a smaller house and more easily navigated town, refused her girls’ offers to move in with them, she sees a psychologist to assist with coping strategies and then constantly looks for additional methods to live independently. Her goal is for her daughters to see her as a role model, not a burden.

If you have ever wondered what someone with memory loss is feeling, this book is a must read. It is uplifting and hopeful.

My wish is that her books become recommended reading for any healthcare professionals, politicians who have seniors as part of their portfolio and all baby boomers.