When a parent with dementia forgets you are their child: Coping with Alzheimer's disease

When Anthea Rowan learned her mother had Alzheimer's disease, she knew little about dementia. But when her mother forgot who her daughter was, Rowan was motivated to learn everything she could about this debilitating disease.

Understanding that dementia is not an inevitable phenomenon is key to preventing or delaying the disease. Rowan knows this now: Since 2021, she has spoken to dozens of experts and read many reports to expand her understanding.

She has also incorporated all this into her new book, A silent tsunami: swimming against the tide of my mother's dementiawhich is published by Bedford Square on 12 September. A mix of memoir and medicine, the book describes her mother's final battle with dementia – and the impact on her own life – while also interpreting the scientific evidence behind the disease.

– Cathy Hilborn Feng, Health and Wellness Editor

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