Reviews of People with Dementia Speak Out

'Although I have read many books on dementia in the four years since I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, seldom have I engaged with one which has informed and moved me as much as this one. Lucy and her co-authors will inspire, challenge, and yet reassure you in equal measure, whether you are affected by dementia personally, or are a professional caring for us. The people in this book "speak out" through story-telling, conveying a human narrative around living well with dementia.'   Keith Oliver, Dementia Service User; Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador;  Kent and Medway NHS Partnership Trust Dementia Envoy


'These are not tales of sorrow and suffering. In every one, the main theme is the whole life story of the person.' Professor David Jolley, University of Manchester

'People with Dementia Speak Out is a celebration of people living, loving, learning, changing and growing with dementia.  It is a rich and multi-dimensional collection of first-person accounts from people living with dementia. Each story combines people’s reflections on their life stories – which are hugely diverse – woven together with accounts of their growing awareness of difficulties and the impact of dementia on their lives. These stories are about identities and how dementia becomes another aspect of people’s lives – but not the only aspect.'  Rachael Litherland, Innovations in Dementia

'Everyone working in dementia care should read this important book. Powerful and moving, these stories drive home what must be the guiding principle of all our work: to see and know each person as an individual all the way from first contact to later difficult times.'   Sue Benson, Journal of Dementia Care

'In a better world, Lucy Whitman's book would be required reading in schools. It brings alive the experience of living with dementia through the stories of people from all walks of life in the UK. A valuable, evocative and commendable testimony to the importance of seeing the person, not the dementia.'  David Truswell, Culture Dementia UK

‘Lucy Whitman has put together this collection of writings in a creative and sensitive way that will encourage the wide audience she is aiming for. Each contribution describes how that individual lives with dementia, but also tells us about the person as a person, with or without dementia. All the pieces are thoughtful and honest. Punches are not pulled about the effects of dementia. In a world where there is still so much stigma around dementia, this book does not seek to hide the emotional impact. There are stories of nearly setting the house on fire, experiencing hallucinations, problems with money. One of the most powerful contributions is the transcript of Lucy talking with Dizi, who conveys vividly the frustrations of living with dementia: “Can’t remember! Getting cross I can’t do it! Grr!”’ Nada Savitch, Journal of Dementia Care.

'If every person who comes into contact with a person living with dementia reads this book, I truly believe that both that person’s experience of dementia would change, and especially that the person living with dementia would feel acknowledged as a person.'   Living with Dementia magazine

‘This is a really useful book for anyone trying to understand how people with dementia feel about their condition. As someone looking after a person in the late stages of Alzheimer’s the interviews have provided many insights into behaviour I have struggled to understand. Not only should this book be recommended for anyone working in this field it can be read by - or read to - anyone with Alzheimer’s.
I have read several interviews to my client who kept nodding in recognition. I believe doing this enhanced the trust she had in me. I have read countless care books on Alzheimer’s but none achieved this. 5 stars.’   “Paleape” on Amazon.co.uk