Deborah Harwood

Losing Mother Twice Deborah Harwood

The authors of Losing Mother Twice know how incredibly difficult it is to watch a loved one lose herself. They watched their mother navigate the treacherous path of Alzheimer's disease for almost ten years. It was a journey set in place by plaques and tangles in her brain, and it lasted until she could no longer find her way through the brambled path.



Others who also watch aging parents, failing spouses, or declining siblings struggle with dementia are not alone on the journey. This story of loss may be their story as well.



The nature of the disease a family is up against becomes clearer once they face the enormity of the problem. Clarity, however, is not so easy to achieve when in the thick of it . . . as the disease is taking a mother away from them in slow motion . . . even while her physical body survives . . . even though she no longer knows who they are . . . even when she can no longer say, "I'm ready. I don't know why the good Lord doesn't take me."



What the authors have learned about facing Alzheimer's disease results not only from their lived experience but also from their study of dementia. The authors share answers to important questions: What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's? How does one deal with a loved one when dementia causes behavior changes. What are the children's chances of inheriting the disease? Why does a person with Alzheimer's remember words to her favorite hymns and yet does not remember her children's names?



This engaging story about family makes complex information accessible by placing discussion of dementia within the context of their mother's life-one person among the millions afflicted by the common tragedy that is Alzheimer's disease.



A discussion guide for book clubs is included.