Because I lost my Dad two years ago, "When Your Parent Becomes Your Child" by Ken Abraham really hit home. Much of the book, while excellent as far as readability, was difficult for me to get through, yet, at the same time it was hard to put down. Ken tells a first person account of his mother's dementia and the eventual hospice care and death. He writes very well and I really appreciated his honesty in regard to his feelings during his mother's illness. A lot of the book was familiar to me because much of what Ken went through with his mom, I experienced with my dad, although, my dad's symptoms weren't as severe as his mother's were.
Ken wrote the book in a story form, including conversations with his mother and others and recounts events that were comical and sad, which I thought added so much, making it more personal and interesting. In addition, he explained about the financial aspects of assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes and admitted to the guilt feelings that many have when they must place their loved ones in places for specialized care. I could really relate to that because I had to place my dad in an assisted living facility where he spent the rest of his life.
Several times, while reading the book, I had to stop reading because the tears that were evoked blurred the words until I could no longer make them out. So much of Ken's story brought back so many memories of my dad it was over-whelming.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with elderly parents. Actually, everyone should read it to get an idea of what it's like and what all is involved in dealing with the elderly who have dementia. Ken's story is well told and he gives pertinent information that one should consider "When Your Parent Becomes Your Child".
I received this book from the Thomas Nelson publisher's book review program in exchange for an honest review. The words are my own.
