Rhonda Hoffman "When I'm Not Me Anymore" - Lisa Hendey & Friends #101

On this week's show, we address the importance of having sometimes
difficult family conversations and what a diagnosis of dementia
means for families with Rhonda Hoffman, author of When I'm Not Me
Anymore: A Pre-Dementia Love Letter to My Daughters.


About Rhonda Hoffman


Rhonda Hoffman is a first-time author who lives in Sherwood
Park, Alberta – right around the corner from her daughters.


About When I'm Not Me Anymore


From Rhonda Hoffman: "A familiar stranger. That is who my mom
became as dementia slowly took hold of her. She was someone I knew
and loved but not the same person she had been. A profound sadness
hit me when I realized that my daughters may one day have to deal
with me in this same condition and I wanted them to know that who I
become if this happens is not really who I am. The things I will
say and do will be coming from someone who has gradually become a
stranger to them. Everything about our life together will change
when I have nowhere to go and all day to get there, forgetting that
they still have commitments, appointments, and things to do. We
will experience a sense of time travel as my memories from the past
become jumbled up in the happenings of each new day. The change in
my language could bring about surprising and sometimes disturbing
conversations as the filters from the past wane and they see me in
my uncut glory. This is a love letter of instruction to my
daughters while I am able to express myself fully with prompts for
you to do the same for your children or to chronicle meaningful
times in the lives of your parents before the chance is lost
forever."


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