For our final day of Dementia Awareness Month, and to further celebrate the voices of people with dementia, two DAI members, Christine Thelker and Kate Swaffer have created a list of books written and published by people with dementia.
In contrast to the vast number of books written by family members or care partners, we could only find about 3 dozen written by people with dementia. However, they are a unique and honest view into the real lives, of real people diagnosed with dementia.
If you know any that have been missed, please let us know!
Listed in chronological order, to highlight how long people with dementia have been speaking out:
My Journey into Alzheimer's Disease, by Robert Davis, 1989
Living in the Labyrinth: A Personal Journey Through the Maze of Alzheimer's, Living in the Labyrinth: A Personal Journey Through the Maze of Alzheimer's, by Diana Friel McGowin, 1994
Losing my Mind: An Intimate Look at Life with Alzheimer’s, by Thomas DeBaggio, 2002
When it Gets Dark: An Enlightened Reflection on Life with Alzheimer's, by Thomas DeBaggio, 2003
Just Love Me: My Life Turned Upside Down by Alzheimer's, byJeanne Lee, 2003
Dancing with Dementia: My Story of Living Positively with Dementia, by Christine Bryden, 2005
Alzheimer's from the Inside Out, by Dr Richard Taylor, 2006
Living in the Labyrinth: A Personal Journey Through the Maze of Alzheimer's, by Diana Friel McGowen, 2011
Silent Voices: My Battle With Alzheimers Rages on, by Norman McNamara, 2011
Who will I be when I die? , by Christine Bryden, 2012
From the Corner Office to Alzheimer's, by Michael Ellenbogen, 2013
On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's: 2nd Edition, by Greg O’Brien, (1st Edn 2014, 2nd Edn 2018)
Nothing About Us, Without Us!: 20 Years of Dementia Advocacy, by Christine Bryden, 2015
Before I Forget: How I Survived a Diagnosis of Younger-Onset Dementia at 46, Christine Bryden, 2015
What the hell happened to my brain?: Living Beyond Dementia, by Kate Swaffer, 2016
Diagnosed With Alzheimers Or Another Dementia: A practical guide to what’s next for people living with dementia, their families and care partners, by Kate Swaffer & Lee-Fay Low, 2016
Love Life Loss - A Roller Coaster of Poetry Volume 2: Days with Dementia, by Kate Swaffer, 2016
Dementia Activist: Fighting for Our Rights, by Helga Rohra, 2016
Five minutes of amazing: my journey through dementia, by
The Lewy Body Soldier: The Lewy Body Soldier, by Norman McNamara, 2016
Walk the walk, Talk the talk, by Keith Oliver, 2016
Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer's, B. Smith, Dan Gasby, et al., 2016
The Dancing Dementia Dude: An Urgent Conversation Between Dementia Folks, Care Partners and God, Dallas Dixon, 2017
Memory's Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia, by Gerda Saunders, 2017
"Was zum Teufel geschieht in meinem Hirn?": Ein Leben jenseits der Demenz, by Kate Swaffer, 2017
Dancing with Elephants: Mindfulness Training For Those Living With Dementia, Chronic Illness or an Aging Brain (How to Die Smiling Book 1), by Jarem Sawatsky, 2017
Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir, by Wendy Mitchell, 2018
Will I Still Be Me?: Finding a Continuing Sense of Self in the Lived Experience of Dementia, Christine Bryden, 2018
A Doctor's Personal Journey of Hope, by Dr Jennifer Bute, 2018
Talking Sense: Living with Sensory Changes and Dementia, by Agnes Houston, 2018
Dear Alzheimer's: A Diary of Living with Dementia, by Keith Oliver, 2019
Dementia Strategies, Tips, and Personal Stories, by Myrna Norman, 2020
For this I am Grateful: Living well with dementia, by Christine Thelker, 2020
Slow Puncture: Living Well With Dementia, by Peter Berry, 2020
Sean’s Story: My five tips for living with frontotemporal dementia, by Sean Kelly, 2020
Dignity & Dementia: Carpe Diem: My journals of living with dementia, by Mary Beth Wighton, 2021
There are now many books which include chapters authored by people with dementia, e.g.
Dementia Rehabilitation, 1st Edition: Evidence-Based Interventions and Clinical Recommendations, Edited by Lee-Fay Low & Kate Laver, chapter 1, Rehabilitation: a human right for everyone, by Kate Swaffer.