Alz Poems
"Our Dementia Journey "
by Patrick J McTaggart
A collection of heartfelt and emotional poems about one family’s journey with dementia including messages of hope and advice for those on the same journey.
At the same time it is an uplifting collection of poems in its own right showing the power of the human spirit to overcome challenges with faith, hope and love.
Written from the perspective of a son caring for his Dad who has dementia and his Mum who has other health issues, the poems take us through the family's dementia journey and include reflections and thoughts on different aspects of the journey from the perspective of his Dad, as well as the rest of the family.
A series of poems also looks at the emotional challenges faced by carers who can feel all sorts of emotions, often all at the same time and how they need to find a way of caring for their loved one while also coping and caring for themselves.
The author has written this collection of poems as a celebration of his Mum and Dad and the family's love for them.
It is also his strong hope that the messages in the poems help others avoid some of the heartache and emotional stresses he suffered and that there are at least one or two nuggets in the book that will be helpful to others at some stage of their journey.
All author royalties for the book will go to Alzheimers Research UK the world's largest dementia research organisation who do research worldwide aimed at finding a cure for the dementia.
The author also invites readers to benefit from the power of poetry and contribute a poem for publication in a further collection of poems again to be published in aid of dementia charities.
The Author:
Pat McTaggart is a qualified accountant and spent 25+ years as a Finance Director/CFO and most recently joint CEO within the IT and Software sectors.
He has a strong interest in social enterprise and the charitable sectors and sat on the Board of two charities aimed at helping young people.
Over the last three years Pat has been full time carer to his Mum and Dad living with them in their home in the Forth Valley of Scotland.
Pat can be contacted at:
Twitter: @pat_mct
Author Interview with Newspaper on Background to the Book
I received the letter below from someone who had seen the Newspaper Article and read the book. It was so nice of them to take the trouble to write to me and I am so pleased the book is helping people.
Testimonials and Reviews
Loved it! 😍
A collection of poems, heartfelt and honest, written by a man caring for his elderly parents, one of whom, his father, has dementia
To say I loved this poetry collection sounds a bit disingenuous considering the subject matter as dementia is not cheery at all or anything to be loved; quite the opposite. But I did love this collection, and this is because of the relatability of it. My grandmother had Alzheimer's and whilst I was not her carer, the feelings that Patrick McTaggart's poems evoke are ones that I have seen play out in front of me in my own life experience and can empathise with to a great degree.
This collection is many things: it is an expression of love for parents; it is a declaration of emotion; it is a sorting through of feelings; it a collection of grumbles; it is a lament for things lost; it is a guide to advise; it is a reflection of experience; it is a philosophical discussion. There is a lot contained here and that is understandable as getting to grips with a life living with dementia and what that entails is extremely involved on many levels.
I like reading things where I feel like the writer is honest; that what I am reading is heartfelt and not contrived and McTaggart's poems are full of true feeling. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when reading some of them, like "Hold on to Me", "Love conquers all" and "Silent Scream", recognising in the words the difficulties faced by a carer for someone with dementia along with the reserves of human spirit that it draws on on a relentless basis, without respite; and seeing the people you love diminished before you, whilst still containing the essence of the person you have always known and loved.
It is a serious issue but McTaggart is also keen to emphasise that it is not all gloom. There are moments of joy, happiness that must be grasped and his poems highlight these and how important they are, like panning for gold, the glints in the seemingly inexhaustible detritus.
What I got mostly from this book, emphasized by the fact that Alzheimer's Research UK will benefit from sales, is the sense of solidarity that McTaggart is keen to transmit with his words: that this is something that we might all face and it will be hard but not insurmountable and that there will be help and support, highs as well as lows: there will be a way through.
Rachel Deeming
Author, Blogger, Book Reviewer
"I know well that families coping with dementia find useful insights, tips, acknowledgement, and empathy in a myriad of forms. For those who embrace the soothing, probing wisdom of poetry, we now have Pat McTaggart's Our Dementia Journey. 'Everyone has a poem in them,' Pat writes. This parental tribute is a fount of affirmation for those of us touched by Alzheimer's--and may even inspire you to pen your own."
“A wonderful tribute and aid.”
Paula Spencer Scott, Award-winning journalist and author of Surviving Alzheimer's: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers
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“This collection of poems that Pat has written is both touching and uplifting. It shows the heartache and the love present in his family’s dementia journey.
We’re so grateful to Pat for supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK. Fantastic fundraising efforts like this collection of poems will help us to make life-changing research breakthroughs for people with dementia.”
Bernie Carranza, Regional Fundraising Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK
