Alzheimer Poems

About the Book

Laurel Brodsley Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., was a lecturer in English literature at a major university. One day at a familiar intersection, she briefly lost her sense of direction. As she immediately suspected, this was the first symptom of early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, which she tried to delay by every strategy she could find.

After having to give up work, she started to write poetry about her experience. Over the following years these poems, often bleak but often celebrating life, show her slow decline towards dementia. She has now lost the ability to touch-type, which makes more poetry problematic.

Alzheimer Poems is a selection of her poetry, followed by an earlier essay on her experience fighting Alzheimer's Disease, and her prospects. The poems use symbolism, observations, and her personal experiences to bring to life the unique perspective of what is happening in her brain. She has a distinct interest in the esthetics of art, music, and nature that is evident throughout the collection. The poems act as a window into the plight of a person struggling with this degenerative and fatal disease.

About the Author

Laurel Brodsley was a university lecturer in English literature, with many academic publications in both literature and medicine. She took up writing poetry after being stricken with Alzheimer?s disease. She has two children and lives with her husband in Los Angeles.