Deeper Than Blue

In this intimate memoir of her husband's Alzheimer's journey, author Amanda G. lays bare the emotional and psychological impact of a loved one's illness. DEEPER THAN BLUE kicks off where the real struggle begins; before her spouse is formally diagnosed with the dreaded disease. Amanda G. knows that the radically transformed personality of her once amiable husband/lawyer falls outside the range of normal aging. Armed with a degree in Internet sleuthing, the author zeroes in on her husband's declining condition. By the time the medical diagnosis is delivered, Amanda G. is already navigating the rocky road ahead for her family. A cobbled-together care plan allows her husband to be cared for within the confines of their home for several years. The inevitable progression of Alzheimer's symptoms mandates hard decisions. She confiscates the keys to her husband's car after long, hilarious battles where he is the victor. The loss of her husband's physical and financial independence, grates upon the author almost as much as it does upon him. The ultimate crisis, his rapid physical deterioration, precipitates moving her husband into a board and care facility. For the first time in their forty-six-year marriage Amanda G. is forced to live apart from her husband. DEEPER THAN BLUE sizzles with honesty by asking questions that many spouses of Alzheimer's patients skirt or pretend do not exist. Although DEEPER THAN BLUE is not a clinical discussion of Alzheimer's, the author includes many pearls of wisdom (handling hospital bureaucracy, providing nourishment to a loved one with swallowing issues, creating an estate plan before the inevitable crisis hits, taking care of your health during the tedious journey) that will keep you sane during the journey and elevate the spirit of family members wrestling with Alzheimer's disease. The author injects humor and light into stressful, dark situations. Amanda G.'s abiding faith travels with her through the valley of her husband's Alzheimer's and gives her courage to rebuke the fear of hope.