To The Last Dance:
A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia
by Myrna Marofsky
“I was driven by love for a man who had always been by my side, as I was for him.
We were a team. I wasn’t going to let him down.”
Redefines “caregiving” to CARE-LIVING
To The Last Dance: A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia is a gift to those experiencing the loss and grief of a partner’s diagnosis of dementia or progressive illness.
From the experiences of a determined wife whose devotion to her husband, and her own identity, carried them to a last dance days before he died, readers will be inspired to design their own path to a tender ending.
It’s a book that honors and answers the question so many partners ask in these difficult times, “What about me?”
“Unblinking, deeply insightful and revealing both vulnerability and strength, Myrna Marofsky tells the story of navigating the uncertain terrain of her husband's life with dementia, using love, dignity and respect as her guideposts. Beyond being essential reading for families and care professionals alike, this book contains powerful life lessons--about adapting to all that irrevocably changes, while embracing and celebrating all that endures.”
--G. Allen Power, MD, Geriatrician, Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia InnovationSchlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, author of Dementia Beyond Disease
Who is this book for?
Uplifting for CAREGIVERS.
According to The Alzheimer’s Association, more than three in five unpaid Alzheimer's caregivers are spouses, partners, or daughters. They are experiencing exhaustion, medical conditions, and financial concerns. Many are feeling alone with their struggles because few people understand what it’s like to be a partner at this time, and even fewer know how to provide support.
Quietly these spouses worry that their loving partner’s illness will take over every part of their life. Some feel guilty thinking about themselves when there is so much to think about for their partners. They may be asking: How do I keep loving in the midst of so much loss and grief? How do I keep my own identity and survive myself?
To The Last Dance; A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia contains stories that give permission to ask and answer these questions. Readers will shift their thinking from existing to living for their partner and for themselves.
Eye Opening for HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, CLERGY, COUNSELORS and THERAPISTS.
To The Last Dance, A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia opens the door to a reality that few are allowed into. Not only does it provide sobering examples where medical and social service consultation could have been handled so much better, but it highlights examples of those who got it right, especially a compassionate and wise therapist.
Illuminating for FAMILY MEMBERS experiencing their own losses
To The Last Dance, A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia speaks to the strained family dynamics and changed roles adult children are faced with as their parents need them at a time when they are experiencing loss themselves. Marofsky demonstrates through her candid stories how she and her daughters persevered to preserve their relationship.
Learn what it takes to be a FRIEND of someone living with dementia.
Through the stories and examples in To The Last Dance; A Partner’s Story of Living and Loving Through Dementia, Marofsky provides helpful tips for those seeking to be supportive at a time when it’s difficult to know what to do.