A Curious Kind of Widow: Loving a Man with Advanced Alzheimer's (Paperback)

~ Ann Davidson (Author)
Key Phrases: respite camp, dementia center, clay care, Oak Creek, Rosener House, Lake Chabot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An intimate portrayal of a loving couple's struggle to accept the ravages of Alzheimer's while continuing to celebrate life and each other. A caregiver for her husband during the later stages of his disease, Ann was determined to stay in loving contact, but also to build a new life for herself. Through five sections of personal vignettes, Ann addresses difficult questions, including: How much longer can she care for her husband alone’ How and when will she make the choice for residential care’ How will she deal with the inevitable letting go’ Walking by the lake near the care center one day Julian stops his gibberish long enough to tell her, I’m okay, really okay. Now you be okay too.

About the Author

Ann Davidson, a breast cancer survivor, was a former speech and language pathologist. She is now a volunteer at the Alzheimer’s Assoc. Northern California Nevada chapter. She is the author of Modified Radical and Other Cancer Poems and Alzheimer’s: A Love Story, One Year in My Husband’s Journey. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Publishers; 1 edition (April 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156474454X
• ISBN-13: 978-1564744548
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #511,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Curious Kind of Widow:Loving a Man with Advanced Alzheimer's, April 20, 2006

By	Joy Hamilton (Waldorf, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a woman having faced this same heart wrenching decision I encourage anyone facing the same decision to read this book. Ms. Davidson takes us through our own feelings as if she knows us and lets us know our feelings are okay. It is a book of validation. When our hearts are ready to quit from loving too much we can still go on sometimes even if we don't want to. My husband is only 69. I took care of him at home for seven years until he had to be placed in residential care one year ago. I still grieve for him everyday.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daniel Kuhn, author of Alzheimer's Early Stages, November 16, 2006

By	Daniel Kuhn (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

The following is from the Foreward I wrote for this wonderful book:

Ann first chronicled the early stages of her spouse's disease in Alzheimer's - A Love Story. In this sequel, she describes her beloved Julian's decline into the late stages and her struggle to cope with his moods and behaviors. At times Ann is beside herself with anger and sadness while at other times she is full of joy and kindness. At all times, however, she is honest about her thoughts and feelings. She uses her diary to sort through her confusion and focus on what is important. She eventually discovers that she can still love Julian in spite of his severe impairments.

Although a unique account, this book will give strength to others on their own journey into Alzheimer's disease. With clarity and insight, Ann describes many markers on her long journey: enlisting the help of others, enrolling Julian in an adult day center, moving him into a residential care facility, and visiting him regularly until he dies peacefully. Each transition is marked by losses that she faces courageously. Ann credits her family, friends, and care providers for enabling her and Julian to live fully in spite of his decline and her grief. However, she chose to face the loneliness of caring for her husband and found personal meaning amidst countless challenges. This is an exquisite story that demonstrates that love is truly a challenging verb.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Curious Kind of Widow, November 5, 2006

By	Juliana Richmond "Juliana Richmond, author" (Los Gatos, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ann Davidson has an uncanny ability to bring us into her life, with all its tribulations as well as its humor. This is not a tome on Alzheimer's disease, but rather an intimate look at what life as the wife of an Alzheimer's patient can be like. You will laugh aloud one minute and brush away a tear the next, and when you finish reading the book you will feel richer for having done so.