Jingle & Mingle Holiday Open House
Wednesday, December 11th 1pm-3pm. Click HERE to Register!

Kensington Holiday Book Club: Wisdom & Insight from Authors Living with Dementia

Looking for a good caregiver or dementia book recommendation this holiday season? Kensington Senior Living is proud to partner with AlzAuthors to light your way! Join us for a roundtable discussion of authors living with dementia as well as authors who have cared for a loved one with dementia. We understand firsthand that this time of year can be overwhelming for those affected by dementia, so let us be your guide as we offer resources to help you make the most out of the holidays. We are here for you every step of the way!

AlzAuthors offers “the most comprehensive online collection of books, blogs, podcasts on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia” with “hundreds of stories” to offer “insight and understanding.” Renowned authors and caregiving experts Jane Dwinell, Daniel Gibbs, Gerda Saunders & Marianne Sciucco will explore stories caregiver spanning a variety of genres and topics, including memoirs, fiction, poetry and others. Whether you’re searching for yourself or a gift for someone else on your list, you won’t want to miss this holiday event.

Making spirits bright this holidays season! Our Promise at The Kensington is to love and care for your family as we do our own. And we do. We are here for you – skilled, prepared and ready to participate fully in your care journey. As specialists in all aspects of Assisted Living and Memory Care, we offer services and programs that are thoughtfully designed, clinically comprehensive and highly personalized. And couples are welcome, even if their care needs differ. We’re standing by, eager to listen and ready to help.

Jane Dwinell, author of Alzheimer’s Canyon: One Couple’s Reflections on Living with Dementia.
Jane Dwinell is a retired RN, freelance writer, and Unitarian Universalist minister. She is the co-author Alzheimer’s Canyon: One Couple’s Reflections on Living with Dementia, written with her husband Sky Yardley, who passed away from dementia in 2021. She lives in northern Vermont with her two cats, Tubby and Pogo, and her garden.

Daniel Gibbs, author of A Tattoo on My Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease.
After receiving his MD and PhD degrees from Emory University, Dr. Daniel Gibbs studied the interaction of the brain and endocrine organs during stress for six years as a research fellow and then assistant professor at the University of California at San Diego. He then finished his clinical training in neurology at Oregon Health & Science University and practiced and taught general neurology in Portland, Oregon for almost 25 years. In 2018 he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. He is the author of Tattoo on My Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle against Alzheimer’s Disease.

Gerda Saunders, author of Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia.
In 2001 Gerda Saunders became the Associate Director of Gender Studies at the University of Utah. In addition to her administrative role, she taught classes in gender studies and English Literature. At the time of her sixty-first birthday, she received a diagnosis of microvascular disease, a precursor of dementia. Having retired shortly after her diagnosis, she now enjoys time with her family, including three grandchildren. In 2013, The Georgia Review published her essay about the effect of her brain’s unraveling on her identity, “Telling Who I Am Before I Forget: My Dementia.” The essay was reprinted in other publications, including in the online magazine Slate. From Saunders’ essay grew a memoir, Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia (2017).

Marianne Sciucco, author of Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story.
Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse, using her skills and experience to create stories that bear witness to the humanity in all of us. She writes contemporary, women’s and young adult fiction. She is the author of Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story. This book led her to become a co-founder and director of AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. She is podcast producer and host for Untangling Alzheimer’s and Dementia, an AlzAuthors Podcast. Marianne lives in New York.