One question I get asked fairly often about The Weight We Carry is whether or not I have personal experience with dementia.

Why yes, yes I do. My maternal grandmother had Alzheimer’s, my mother had Alzheimer’s, and my father has vascular dementia. I’m choosing to ignore what might be in my future at the moment and instead share what I’ve learned in the last decade from my parents, friends, and caregiving professionals.

I am not a clinician. I know quite a bit about the body and how it works thanks to my graduate degree in physiology, but the ins and outs of dementia are not my forte. What is? Compassion, common sense, and a desire to educate. That’s what I hope these tips will do: educate anyone who might be experiencing what me and my family went through. Let them know they are not alone. Give them hope that if we can make it through “the long goodbye,” they can too.

So please know that dementia changes a person—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Regardless, they are still a person and deserve respect. If you can’t give that, walk away and try again another time.

You’ll be glad you did.