A review by imogenrobinson__
What Dementia Teaches Us About Love by Nicci Gerrard

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

Animals perish; only humans die – because we are creatures who are aware of our own mortality. This awareness, which can feel vertiginous, unendurable, is also what gives us selfhood, and life shape and meaning. 

It is no wonder Gerrard won the Orwell Prize for Journalism for exploring dementia. She looks at the subject with an avid interest in the disease and the treatment of it. Her interviews and anecdotes shed a lot of light on what it is like to live with dementia, and what it is like to be the caregiver of a sufferer. 

I like that Gerrard encourages healthcare providers to use the proper titles of those in their care, and not dehumanise them with pet names or speak about them as if they are not in the room. She stresses the importance of routine and environment, and how carers should be allowed to have longer visiting hours when someone with dementia is hospitalised. 

I also like that she highlights the importance of the arts in helping those with dementia to reconnect to the self, as this is a disease which effectively dismantles the self. 

She handles a challenging subject with precision, focussing on what needs to change and how we can remain hopeful about an illness which comes in the night for our memories, which for a lot of us, are our most treasured possessions. I like her unexpected use of the Dr Seuss quote "Fun is good" in her discussion of the fear of ageing. She reminds the reader that it is easy to forget to enjoy life and have fun while you can. 

I admire her a lot for this piece of work.