"I went down and sat by the tree with the fireplace on and just sobbed. This was reality. This was truth. I had lost Ron. I was living with a stranger in my house."
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A Stranger in the House: A Journal of My Life
Living the Last Years with My Husband's Alzheimer's by Jacci Smith Reed Trafford Publishing
book review by P. Hooper
A routine knee replacement surgery changed the lives of the author and her husband, Ron, forever. A reaction to the anesthesia threw Ron into a bout of full-fledged dementia, which later led to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. At first, Reed convinced herself that the dementia would abate, even though doctors told her otherwise. After months of watching her husband's memory deteriorate, she finally faced the truth—Ron did, in fact, have Alzheimer's. In hindsight, she recognized that he had been showing symptoms for the last two years, well before the surgery. The memory loss had presented so gradually that Reed had convinced herself that Ron was just forgetful.
Once she accepted the diagnosis, Reed embarked on a journey to help make the rest of her husband's life pleasant. This book chronicles the many struggles Reed faced as she single handedly cared for her husband as the disease transformed him into a stranger.
Though at times poorly edited, Reed's account is heartfelt and bittersweet. This book is a realistic portrayal of losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease, yet it conveys a message of hope. Never saccharine sweet, Reed honestly relays her struggles. She admits to feeling impatient with Ron, angry at her plight, and lonely in the midst of it all. Reed is incredibly validating to those who travel the same path as her own. Though she provides some very sound advice to caregivers, she never comes off as a know-it-all, and she maintains an understanding and validating tone throughout the book.