Sherry Van Atta Smelley

The Girl, the Star and the Spider Memorial Edition: a Fairy Tale for Grownups Dealing with Alzheimer's and Similar Dementias Sherry Van Atta Smelley

The Girl, The Stare and The Spider gives a paradigm for addressing grief among families of persons that have dementias such as Alzheimer's Disease, also called AD. Written like a fairy tale, the story gives an amazingly accurate picture of the beginning and progress of AD. The spider is a metaphor for the frightening illness. The star reminds us that suffering and loss at the end of life are often part of a larger story for each of us, and that a love shared lives on. This Memorial Edition features powerful full color paintings. These illustrations of the child-like story make the book one to be treasured by loved ones experiencing significant emotional pain. The book includes Questions for Reflection and a list of organizations and websites that families dealing with dementias like AD will find valuable. People facing Alzheimer's may find the literature on this topic to be overwhelming at a time that is frightening and painful. This book offers comfort in the form of a simple story like those from which we learned as children.