Chances are good that you know someone with Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association says that every 67 seconds
someone is diagnosed with the disease, more than 5 million Americans are living
with it, and 1 in 3 senior citizens in America dies from Alzheimer’s or another
dementia.
Awhile back, I won the book What Flowers Remember from author
Shannon Wiersbitzky. In the book, the main character, Delia, learns about
Alzheimer’s as her elderly friend, Old Red, goes through changes caused by the
disease. Wiersbitzky graciously offered to answer a few questions about this
book for young people.
Jane: Your story is set in Tucker’s Ferry,
a nice small town in West Virginia that reminds me somewhat of Mitford, Jan
Karon’s made-up town. How did you go about creating Tucker’s Ferry, and what
other writers influenced your own writing?
Shannon: Tucker’s Ferry is modeled after the
small town of Culloden, West Virginia. Growing up, I spent all my summers
there. It was where my grandparents lived. It had a little post office where
everyone met to get mail and share news, one little grocery store, a gas
station and a fire department. And that was about it. The fictional Tucker’s
Ferry is an idealized version I suppose, and that fits the story.
I think everything you read
influences you in some way. As a child, it was probably more about learning the
arc of story. Growing up I loved Robert C. O’Brien books, Judy Blume, Noel Streatfeild and all her dancing
shoes, there was the Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher and the Little House
series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The person who has influenced my writing the
most though is probably my editor Stephen Roxburgh. He is simply brilliant.
Jane: I love the intergenerational aspects
of this book. People of all ages do things together and learn from each other,
whether or not they’re related. Our society tends to lump people together by
age, so that young people don’t mix with senior citizens unless they are
grandparents. What are some benefits of intergenerational activities, and how
can we promote them in our own communities?
Shannon: You’re absolutely right. And it is
such a loss for everyone! I was fortunate in that I lived with my grandparents
three months of every year from the age of about seven until I was almost out
of high school. We’d visit the requisite amusement park and such, but most of
the time it was just regular life. I remember my grandfather heading off to
work and coming home in the evening. I’d help my grandmother clean. We’d talk
to neighbors. And my grandfather had a big garden. He didn’t grow flowers like
Old Red, he grew vegetables, and then my grandmother would preserve hundreds
and hundreds of jars for winter. I really got to know them as people, which is
such a gift.
Today I think too many young people
only see their grandparents or other senior citizens as old. Every older person
was young once! They had first kisses and got in trouble, they’ve been scared
or brave, and they are usually more than happy to share their stories. And the
stories can be so surprising and wonderful.
I wish there were more ways to
connect the generations, through real conversation, not lecture. We should
absolutely invite senior citizens into schools. Have them lend real context to
an era or a war, read books aloud, listen and mentor, participate in
activities. If kids are describing what they want to be when they grow up, have
seniors answer that same question based on their own younger dreams. Ask
children to interview a senior they know and give them some prompts. Tell me
about a time when you got into big trouble as a kid. What were you most scared
of when you were my age? What did you do for fun?
When a young person can discover the
personality behind the age, that is the key. From there, anything is possible.
Here are a couple of recent news items about young people and Alzheimer's patients:
Let Me Be Your Memory is a school curriculum to link kids to seniors to gather and record memories and create memoirs.
"These Middle School Girls Had an Idea That Could Help Alzheimer's Patients Remember Loved Ones" by Kim Bellware, Huffington Post, 2/5/15.
Jane: The heart of the book is about young
Delia and Old Red, who have a flower seed business together. Old Red has been
teaching Delia about flowers, seeds, and gardening. Where did you get the
expertise to write accurately about flower gardening?
Shannon: I’m so glad it all seems accurate!
As I said, my grandfather grew vegetables, so I knew a tiny bit about tending
to plants and such. The rest I learned through research. I did my best to get
it right for all the real gardeners out there. I’m not very good at it myself.
I love the IDEA of gardening, but I don’t love all the hard work it actually
requires. My own gardens start out beautiful and then end in a tangle of weeds.
It’s shameful.
Jane: Delia takes over more and more of
the work, as Old Red becomes unreliable. He finally must be moved to a senior
care center. This process is difficult for everyone in town, but they try to
help each other cope with Old Red’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Delia uses
creativity to help Old Red hang onto his memories. I read on your website that
your grandfather had Alzheimer’s. Did you use a similar tactic? If not, where
did you get the idea?
Shannon: My grandfather did have Alzheimer’s
and eventually he forgot me. That was horrible, and very hard to comprehend,
even as an adult. And I’m certain that is why I was drawn to write about the
topic. My grandfather and I never talked about his disease. And not once did I
think to record as many memories as I could. Delia’s bravery and ability to
confront the problem head on is so admirable. I love her for it.
The idea for the memory wall that
Delia creates in Old Red’s room just popped into my mind one day. I’m a very
visual writer. I tend to imagine scenes first and then write them. I knew she
was capturing all these stories and folks were giving her photos and I could
see this entire wall of Old Red’s life, there for everyone to see. The thought
was so beautiful it made me cry. Which meant I absolutely had to get it on
paper.
Jane: The contrast between flowers
bursting into bloom and dropping seeds as Old Red loses his faculties and fades
away is very poignant. What DO flowers remember? What would you like to tell
people who know someone with Alzheimer’s?
Shannon: I would like to think that flowers
do remember the people who tended them and the stories they’ve told. Certainly
as humans we have the ability to carry stories forward. To tell them to our own
children or grandchildren. Perhaps we’re both the flowers and the seeds.
Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease.
It hurts everyone it touches. In the early stages, if I could do it over, I
would have asked more, listened more, recorded more. In the later stages,
prepare the best you can for the day when your loved one won’t remember you. And
simply know you're not alone. So many have been touched by it. Read, talk,
ensure you have a support system.
Jane: I hope we’ll hear more from Tucker’s
Ferry. I have a feeling Delia and her friends might have more to learn—and more
to teach us. Thanks for talking with me.
Shannon: Thank you!
Alzheimer’s makes an appearance in
the glamour of Hollywood, too. One of tonight’s Oscar nominees is Julianne Moore
for Best Actress in “Still Alice.” Moore portrays a college linguistics
professor with a happy home life who starts forgetting words and is diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s. She is only 50, and the disease progresses quickly, affecting
herself and everyone around her. Is she still Alice?
Avid reader and friend, Jan Mullin,
wrote this about the book Still Alice by Lisa Genova: "A Novel."
Really? The voice of Alice feels like it comes from my own heart and head and
couldn't be more real. Genova writes in such a personal way (Oh my God, what's
happening to me?) Her poignant phrases--"She’d rather die than lose her
mind" or " Who was she if she wasn’t..." professor, wife,
mother, researcher--bring home the realities of the monster under the bed.
Alzheimer's is something Alice can't fight, "a demon in her head, tearing
a reckless and illogical path of destruction, ripping apart the wiring…"
Through diligent research, interviews and personal interactions (and great
writing), Genova gives a heart-rending view of the fear, isolation, and
confusion as the disease evolves. On the brighter side, Genova includes very
positive actions such as early diagnosis and intervention, support groups not
just for the caregiver, but also the AD person, and how Alice's family comes to
care for and about her in her new reality. The title isn't a question, but through the entire book Alice
questions the concept of still being Alice. At
the end, the question remains: Still Alice?
Here’s a
clip of Moore’s performance in the movie trailer:
A portion of the sales from
Wiersbitzky’s book goes to the Alzheimer’s Association. See how you can help or receive help: http://www.alz.org/
