Somebody I Used to Know

Never have I learnt so much from a single book. If I take even a small part of it and try and apply it with people I meet who are living with dementia then I'll feel proud to have read Wendy Mitchell's story. This is not a woman wallowing in self-pity - although heaven knows she'd be entitled to - but a strong independent woman struck a tremendously low blow. Yet despite the unavoidable low and frankly scary moments, Wendy shows an indomitable spirit, incredible resourcefulness and the most abiding love for her daughters. An excellent read.

This is such an inspiring, yet sad, story. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there, especially when it comes to describing in great detail something which affects the very essence of who you are as a person. The author has done this in a remarkable way.

I can’t say too much about this book. What I will say is that everyone should take a chance and delve into its pages. It’s not an easy read, it’s an emotional journey into the struggle of a truly inspiring woman who fights every day against an illness which is stripping her of everything she knows.

Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

What a amazing book as you read what Wendy is going through you realise that if you have a friend family with dementia the way you speak to them or about them is all wrong.
I wish I had read this book with the tips when I was a career. Parts made me laugh and others cry, the description of Blackpool took me right back to being a kid.
Thank you Wendy for letting us in to see just a tiny bit of your life.

I'm so happy for Wendy that she got to write this book not just for herself but for everyone that gets to read it. Most of us will know or meet someone with Dementia at some point in our lives and it's extremely important that we don't write them off straight away. I thought that this book was going to be rather depressing but in true Wendy style it was really uplifting and positive. There is obviously alot to to be done to change the attitude we all have towards those living with Dementia - especially doctors. But luckily champions like Wendy are doing all they can to make sure this happens.

The book itself is very easy and enjoyable to read.

Such an honest and thought provoking read and really makes you think what might be around the corner for you even if you are not in an older age bracket. The humour was subtle and to know that there are so many resources out there to help people is truely amazing and for Wendy to share her experiences has been phenomenal.

SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW

by

Wendy Mitchell

After a couple of unexplained falls, some absentmindedness and a steady decrease in her energy levels Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimers. Still in her 50s, active and fit, with a job she loved, and a lust for life, she was devastated. The last words from her clinic were ‘Good Luck’. One visit to the Memory clinic was the only follow up she received over the following 3 months.
A remarkable woman whose attitude to her progressive illness is positive (I do not suffer from Alzheimers, I live with it!) is humbling. Disturbed at the lack of support this courageous woman became a willing guinea pig for research, offering herself for interviews and tests in the hope she would benefit others now and in the future. Her resourcefulness knows no bounds.Two years after her diagnosis she is fully aware of the deterioration in her memory and motor skills but continues to volunteer at support groups travelling the length of the country raising awareness of living with Alzheimers and sharing the tricks she has invented for herself to jog memory. How is that possible?
Using the internet, and facebook on her ever present iPad plus ‘a snowdrift of sticky notes’ and careful planning she travels on public transport. When ‘the fog of oblivion’ and the resulting panic strikes she has trained herself to surrender to that moment and relax until the world becomes clear again.
Her resilience and courage is to be admired. When driving becomes too dangerous, she buys a bike; uncomfortable using the telephone, her iPad becomes her medium, texting and face timing friends and family and joining chat lines associated with Alzheimers. The tricks to jog her memory and ‘outwit Alzheimers’ are inspirational.
Interspersed with her present situation are chapters where she reflects on the multi tasking person she used to be, coping as a single mother with job and family. She recalls these occasions with sadness and never with bitterness.
An emotional read, but strangely for such a harrowing subject it is also uplifting and not without wry humour. Long after Alzheimers claims Wendy’s brain she will be remembered for the tenacious way she fought for sufferers, raising the profile of the disease and encouraging those afflicted to adapt and sustain their existing life for as long as they are able.
This book has changed my perception of Alzheimers and what that diagnosis means. Wendy Mitchell shows that being diagnosed does not necessary mean a doom laden slide into oblivion. A book that I found most interesting. I was swept along by Wendy’s breezy style of writing that made this an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book. It is a very honest and clear account of living with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease written by the remarkable Wendy Mitchell. This book would be remarkable by any standards, but when you know that the author has Alzheimer’s it is all the more extraordinary. I had seen an interview with Wendy on BBC Breakfast a few years ago, and it stayed with me because of the way she was able to put into words what she was feeling. At that time she was still working, but in her book she has written about the many difficulties she faced in trying to maintain her job. That she has written this is valuable on many levels. If you have a friend or relative with dementia, this book will help you to understand what they may be feeling and how to help; if you have been afraid that it could happen to you, Wendy shows just how much you can still do with the right level of organisation; and if you have ever wondered about becoming a dementia friend, this book should inspire you to find out more.
At one point in the book Wendy talks about being asked to review the film Just Alice. Her insight into a film about early onset dementia is very moving. She met Julianne Moore who played the lead role in the film, and she is very complimentary about her performance. I found a new level of compassion as Wendy talks about the sadness of the scene in the film where Alice has written herself instructions to end her life, but is too distracted to carry out the steps.
The book is written with good humour, and is honest about her fears, but also celebrates the things she is able to do because of her diagnosis. She decided at the outset that she would start to say yes to any opportunity to do things, from radio and television interviews to speaking at conferences and training nurses.
This is not a depressing read as I had feared. It is quite life affirming, and I would recommend it to anyone.
#Netgalley #SomebodyIUsedToKnow

A stunning honest and heartfelt account but the author of the challenges facing her. Told with warmth and love and it was a pleasure to read such a moving personal story. Thank you.

E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion!

This was such an amazing memoir! Living with dementia is such a horrible thing and this book hit me in the right spot. I was so hooked whilst reading it that I managed to read it in one sitting.
Wendy’s story was very touching and insightful. She was such a genuine and lovely character that I can't help than to advise people to read it.
I especially appreciate the positivity and the message to be kind and loving in life.

Somebody I used to know by Wendy Mitchell a thought provoking and educating five-star read. This is an inspiring read and one I will be telling everyone who knows and deals with someone with dementia as it shows us behind the curtain, shows us the side we can be afraid to ask the questions of. This is an insightful and honest story and it makes you want to go and shake a very brave woman’s hand.

A brilliant insight into learning to live with early onset Alzheimer's and its effect on the person, her family and work colleagues. Every student nurse and medical student should read this, It may also help those with the same diagnosis.

A great book that really explores the progress of dementia and how it impacts on others and also their perception of the disease.

An awe inspiring book, an honest view of someone living with dementia and the ways in which she is able to continue at home on her own by devising plans. Photos, IPad alarms and different methods of reminding herself. It is sad to see her declining as time goes on, but she carries on giving hope to lots of people living with the same condition

Beautifully heartbreaking and inspiring read. Many of us will face the challenges of dementia in some form in our lifetime, but I wasn't expecting to find such an uplifting book about a remarkable woman and her battle to try and 'outwit' the disease. A story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

What an inspirational book! I have worked with people living with dementia for most of my 45 year nursing career but learnt so much from Wendy. Every nurse should read this book as part of their training and people in the public sector need to have training on her messages. A very brave lady who has so much to offer. Good luck Wendy in the rest of your journey

This book is well worth a read. I don't normally like memoirs, but this is different. Wendy was diagnosed with early onset dementia in her late 50s. She is determined to make her life as good as it possibly can be, and she becomes involved in work to raise awareness of the disease, and any research projects that are available. For me, her descriptions of her symptoms are extremely powerful, and gave an insight into what it must be like to live with this cruel illness. This is both a heart breaking and uplifting story which I thoroughly recommend as a must read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Devastating, early stage dementia. Realising you’re loosing yourself, being unable to halt the process, attempting to ‘help’ yourself believing you don’t need the help then the realisations dawn that life will never ever be the same. Very poignant read, evoking again for me, the struggles my grandmother and mother struggled with while I tried to support them. Concisely and succinctly written, covers the early onset of dementia and living with the loss. Ironically reading this memoir has given me hope that it is possible to live with dementia. Wendy Mitchell is an amazing lady!

Wendy Mitchell, you are an inspiration. What an amazingly hard journey you have been on and continue to go through, yet you have fought this disease every step off the way (sometimes, the same steps over and over). This book needs to be sent out across the world to show Dementia doesn't only have an end, there has to be a beginning and a middle.
I couldn't recommend this book more. Thank you for letting us in Wendy. Xx

An excellent insight into a truly heartbreaking disease. A book I cud not put down that both inspired me and devastated me.

This is an absolute must read!!! I hadn't realised it was a biography when I started it, however this has absolutely moved me with its factual tale of life with dementia and how to adapt to this.

There are so many ideas that could be taken for anyone living with dementia or a family member who is. This also shows what an amazing woman Wendy is through this.

I wish I had read this book earlier.

Wendy Mitchell writes wonderfully documenting her experiences living with early onset dementia. Emphasis on living with.

I think everyone should read this book and take the time to think about how you interact with those who are living with an illness, and whether your reactions are supporting them or yourself.

Having personal experience of relatives with dementia this book was at times a hard read for me as Wendy described behaviours which were upsetting to her and in which I could see some of my own reactions.

I honestly believe everyone should read this book.

Wendy’s story is truly inspirational. Faced with a disease that will ultimately win out, she has chosen to live for the moment, to still appreciate that there are some positives in amongst the vast array of negatives, and to use a substantial amount of her precious time to raise awareness of a condition the majority of the world doesn’t understand.

The daily measures she has to take, measure that are ever increasing, are eye-opening. The true appreciation comes however from Wendy’s ingenuity and persistence to stave off the effects as much as she can whilst embracing the ‘Yes’ attitude she refers to so fondly.

Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for a review copy.

This is a heart-rending and sensitive memoir about what it's like to live with Alzheimer's - albeit an early-onset form of the disease. It's something we are all hearing a lot about nowadays and Wendy Mitchell has done something quite incredible here: she tells it as it is.

Mitchell, a single mother of two, was diagnosed in her approaching-retirement prime - as a fit, ambitious professional. She realised things weren't right when she fell, for no apparent reason, when out running. And from here on in, the memoir describes her life; her diagnosis; and doing everything in her power to learn as much about dementia before it's too late.

During reading, I thought a lot about how Mitchell managed to write - to remember - so much of the contents. I imagine she had support, given the complications of the illness. As someone whose own mother is suffering from Alzheimer's, so much of this rang true, from the foggy, unexplained brain, to getting lost in familiar situations, and other people's perceptions (often quite negative/misunderstood) of the disease.

This is a superb read for anyone who knows about dementia - or wants to know more. Being a significant disease in our world today, I would advise this being read by as many people as possible. We probably all know someone who is suffering, or has suffered, and this book sheds much-needed light on life for anyone affected by dementia.

An amazing book that welcomes outsiders into a very personal journey into Alzheimers. Wendy Mitchell describes her feelings and experiences in a way that anyone can appreciate what she is experiencing.
The best thing about this book is that she gives us insight into how we can be there for anyone going through the same frightening experiences. I found it incredibly helpful to understand why there is so much fear involved from both sides, be you a carer or sufferer of this heartbreaking disease.

This book was amazing and such an insight into the world of a person living with dementia. Helping raising the awareness. Thank you Wendy for putting into words your life. The courage and resilience coping with the losses and the uncertainty of the foggy times. The world with dementia is not one that was envisaged it steals the future that was dreamt of. A very powerful read and definitely one that really touched me

It is not often I close my kindle and immediately feel the need to write a review - I usually like to mull over my thoughts for a day or two. But today I just want to say WOW!
I was unsure about reading this memoir of life with early-onset dementia and was concerned it would be unbearably sad and difficult to read. But far from it - this was no poor-me pity-party but an incredibly uplifting, even life-affirming, beautifully written, often humorous account of life with dementia by an utterly amazing woman. With the support of two much-loved daughters and an indomitable spirit, she has become an Alzheimer’s ambassador and spokesperson, travelling alone all around the country to speak at conferences. Determined to make people understand that the face of dementia can be articulate, witty and empathetic, Wendy Mitchell, ever a fiercely independent, single mum, devises coping strategies: she uses her iPad to remind her to eat and take her medication, post-it notes to remind her where she is when she wakes in the morning in an unfamiliar hotel; she uses photos taken from Google to familiarise herself with an intricate journey taken to attend conferences as a keynote speaker; and photos of the insides of her home cupboards and wardrobes to remind her what is behind their incomprehensible doors. Far from being beaten into submission and an easy existence in the comfort zone of her home, she seeks to participate in as much clinical research into Alzheimer’s, and country-wide conference speaking, as possible. Even though her speech-memory deteriorates over time, her written word-memory does not desert her and she continues to write an online blog describing her daily life.
Somebody I Used to Know should be read by everyone, whether or not directly or indirectly affected by dementia, because it is an inspirational insight into the world as experienced by the author, adamantly “living with, not suffering, dementia”.