I'm still laughing about Frank's comment that he hasn't yet
seen a book cover that boasts, "Soon to Be a Minor Motion Picture!" Still
Alice, the book we discussed this month, by Lisa Genova, is already a major
motion picture, with Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin in the two main roles. I
didn't see any information about when it will be in the local theaters, but I
saw a good review and a bad one. After our discussion and/or this posting, will
you go see the movie? I'm not in a hurry to see it, but I will see it when it
becomes convenient (Netflix or a group going at a convenient time that I can't
resist...so please let me know!). The book is straightforward and educational,
and it seems the movie is, too.
Almost everyone in the group that met at Barnes & Noble
last Monday to discuss Still Alice had
experience with Alzheimer's in a family member or close friend. Perhaps the book
and the meeting were most attractive to people who were familiar with the
ravages of Alzheimer's, or perhaps the percentages are that way among everyone.
Our discussion included personal sharing, which I will not include here. #youhadtobethere.
We had a little fun discussing the symptoms of Alzheimer's
and the tests that are used for diagnosis. I say it was fun because, from what
we said, we could see that that our memory lapses in general are very common
among us and also much less dramatic than the kinds of problems that indicate
the likelihood of a diagnosis. We decided to agree that problems dredging up
words and people's names, temporarily losing car keys or eyeglasses, and other
errors a lot of us have made are caused by normal tiredness, filled brains from
many years of high intellectual pursuit, busy lives, and fragmented messages
among the barrage of multimedia aspects of daily life. #thanks Obama
The group thought well of the book, finding it difficult
emotionally but a compelling story. Vicki mentioned that she liked the way the
book stemmed from the patient's point-of-view. She also pointed out that
because of this emphasis on the patient running the story, the reader never
knew for sure how much the family talked about Alice when she wasn't there; the
reader saw only the family's final decisions and interactions with Alice rather
than their perhaps long and difficult deliberations among themselves. Marsha
said it was a "graceful" book even though the reader knew what would
happen. Shirley thought it interesting that the daughter who was fighting with
Alice in the beginning of the book ended up being the one who most understood
her mother. Cindy T. noted that there is a stigma to dementia that is different
from such potentially curable diseases as cancer: cancer patients are
considered brave and heroic and hopeful and have access to support groups;
whereas Alice had to create her own support group for people suffering from
early Alzheimer's.
Toward the end of the meeting, some local resources were
mentioned. Marsha told us about a friend who works with Alzheimer's patients at
a facility that has a take-apart room and a put-together room. In the morning,
patients who like to take things apart go to the room and take things apart. In
the afternoon, patients who like to put things together go to that room! (I'm
not sure this is local, but what an idea!) Pam mentioned the Community Health
Paramedic program in Round Rock. Patty mentioned a support group for
Alzheimer's caregivers at her church. Several local churches apparently have
groups, and they are very helpful. Dennis mentioned that there are some
cognitive tests available online.
Thanks to Shirley for nominating this different and daring
book and for guiding our discussion but also allowing us to diverge as much as
we wanted. Thumbs up to everyone in our group who is currently a caregiver for
a loved one with dementia.
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