Book Review: Dancing with Dementia: My story of living positively with dementia

DANCING WITH DEMENTIA: MY STORY OF LIVING POSITIVELY WITH
DEMENTIA
Christine Bryden, Jessica Kingsley
ISBN 184310332X, £12.95

Star Rating: 4/5

“Dementia is a disease of old age.” Tell that to Christine
Bryden, a civil servant, who at the age of 46 and looking after
three daughters alone, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,
writes Les Bright.

This is her second book charting her personal journey, providing
an upbeat vision of how with support from family, friends and
religious faith she has faced up to the illness. Marriage to Paul,
four years after receiving her diagnosis, is just one of the ways
in which readers are invited to consider their views on the life of
a person with dementia.

Christine’s writing is clear and engaging as she tells the story
of her activism, initially at local then national level, and
finally through her membership of Alzheimer’s Disease International
where she has been an elected member of the board for the past two
years. Along the way she has setbacks, and struggles to communicate
– but the message of this book is very positive, and will repay the
time you spend reading it.

Les Bright is an independent consultant and professional
adviser to the Relatives and Residents Association.