And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

What happens when you get Alzheimer's or dementia?  This is a look from the inside out.  We know what it looks like from our side.  Here's an imagined patient with the disease...

Atria Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will published tomorrow.

Grandpa and Noah sit on a park bench and talk each day.  As Grandpa's world gets smaller and his memory starts wandering, Noah sits and listens.  He can even help finish the tale if Grandpa's mind shuts down.  He assures his Grandpa that he will be his living memory.  Grandpa believes when he dies, he's going to go to space.  He's now hoping it might be heaven because that's where Grandma is and he'd like to see her again.  To help reassure him that he will float away towards space (and maybe heaven), Noah gives him a balloon.  The balloon will remind him of his final destination.

This is a sad story because it's watching someone's mind deteriorate.  But it's also a sweet story because Noah doesn't get upset and he spends time with his Grandpa.

My grandmother had memory loss.  She never knew exactly who I was, sometimes called me by her girl's names.  She also told me everyone's Christmas presents and when I told her I didn't want to know what Jo Ann was getting, she said:  "Don't you like her?"  It did no good to tell her who I was, she didn't remember.  She always greeted me with a smile and was happy to see me.  I just accepted that.  She talked about the past like it was a current event.  She was happy and content with her life.  If we could all be so, it would be a good world.

This is just a taste of what you might encounter with age whether it's you or a family member.  Just remember to keep loving them.