Joan Loren Gaustad’s memoir about her husband’s dementia and the journey on which it took them as a couple is a beautiful book—both in terms of the writing and the accompanying art. I was reluctant, at first, to read it, afraid it would bring up still painful memories of my father’s struggles with Alzheimer’s—and it did, yet I also found the book healing. Gaustad doesn’t shy away from depicting the horrors this disease inflicts upon both those who suffer from it and those who care for them. And she bluntly shows how inadequately our health care system addresses the needs of those suffering from dementia. But there are also laugh-out-loud moments and moments of heartwarming tenderness that show how the bond between Gaustad and her husband remains strong through it all. Someone’s Missing is a moving reminder that, while dementia strips away so much from those afflicted by it and ultimately takes their lives, it cannot take away the essence of who they were and the love that connects us to them. Someone’s Missing . . . And I think It’s Me is available here.
Kathy Davis 