Dancing with Lewy: A Father-Daughter Dance, Before and After Lewy Body Dementia Came to Live With Us

A woman recounts dementia’s toll on her family and shares lessons she learned that can provide help and hope to caregivers tending to their own loved ones. Within Dancing with Lewy, readers meet Lee and Nancy. Lee was born into a large farming family just before the Great Depression. He was a World War II Veteran, self-made businessman, artist, poet, and a man who would give a stranger his last nickel. Lee’s third daughter, Nancy, is practical, organized, pragmatic, a writer, and equals her father in a passion for life. Nancy was determined to take the helm when Lee’s mind began “dancing” with Lewy body dementia even though he resolved to remain independent while his mind slipped away. Within Dancing with Lewy, readers also meet God as the one who carried the family through this storm and offered grace to the weariness of the family. This memoir is written through Nancy’s eyes while original poetry by Lee is woven throughout to provide readers a glimpse into his outlook to life. In Part I of Dancing with Lewy,Nancy revisits Lee’s young life, her own years growing up with her dad, and the toll dementia took on their family. She shares the pain of grief when her mom died of cancer and her dad became even more confused. In Part II, she shares the lessons she learned along the way and offers hope for caregivers tending to their loved one(s) who have a debilitating illness. Nancy offers practical advice for caregivers such as how to: Get legal documents in order Find community resources Choose a nursing home and partner with the staff Treat their loved one with respect and dignity