Tuesday, August 31, 2010

As Nora Jo Fades Away by Lisa Cerasoli


Living with a loved one who has dementia or Alzheimers can be an excruciating experience.

Subtitle of this book is: Confessions of a Caregiver. Five Star Publications sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you). This is a memoir, and Ms. Cerasoli's experiences will tug at your heartstrings.

It's hard to know what to do with the patient who is losing their memory and some of their life skills. You can put them in a home, or you can make a home for them in your own. But it will take all the compassion you can draw out of your soul, forgiveness when you'd rather shout, and lots of love.

Ms. Cerasoli didn't realize exactly what she was getting into with Nora Jo, and that's probably a good thing.

Imagine a grandma who likes to drink beer every night (and sometimes during the day). How about a grandma that wears Gramps BVDs because they were so comfortable? She also says and does things that embarrass you as well as misidentifies most people, even though she used to know them.

Ms. Cerasoli stood tall, embraced her grandmother, and folded her into her household. It put a strain on her family, but everyone managed to adjust pretty well. What else can you do?

This book demonstrates the type of challenges you have as a caregiver and also shares the precious moments of fun and love you can still share.

If you have someone whose memory is slowly failing, this book will touch you. And it's also a good guide for someone who might be thinking about trying to do caregiving. It's an honest portrayal of the work involved.

This is a very good read, the author's words flow well, and her emotions are honest.

You can order a copy of this book at http://www.fivestarpublications.com/norajo/order.html or pick one up at your local bookstore.

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