What I Wish People Knew About Dementia cover art

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia

From Someone Who Knows

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia

By: Wendy Mitchell
Narrated by: Wendy Mitchell
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.87

Buy Now for £12.87

Bloomsbury presents What I Wish People Knew About Dementia written and read by Wendy Mitchell.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Essential reading' SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

'A book of hope' OBSERVER

'A marvellous tour of insights' THE TIMES

'A must-read . . . I couldn't recommend it higher' MICHAEL BALL

'Wendy Mitchell is a life-saver' FRANCES WILSON, AUTHOR OF BURNING MAN

What can a diseased brain tell us about being human, living our own lives better and helping those with dementia get the best from theirs?

When Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young-onset dementia at the age of fifty-eight, her brain was overwhelmed with images of the last stages of the disease — those familiar tropes, shortcuts and clichés that we are fed by the media, or even our own health professionals.

But her diagnosis far from represented the end of her life. Instead, it was the start of a very different one.

Wise, practical and life affirming, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia combines anecdotes, research and Wendy Mitchell’s own brilliant wit and wisdom to tell readers exactly what she wishes they knew about dementia.©2022 Wendy Mitchell (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Alzheimer's & Dementia Medicine & Health Care Industry Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Personal Development Physical Illness & Disease Policy & Administration Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Heartfelt Inspiring Health Dementia Alzheimer's Disease Human Brain
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

An engaging and hopeful read. Mitchell’s signature warmth and optimism shine through on almost every page
This is a book whose purpose is to convert despair into hope . . . A kind of how-to manual for people with the condition and those who support them. It proceeds by a practical and calming formula: take a difficulty and find a way to overcome it. Running under all the commonsense pieces of advice is a deeper and more existential message, one for all of us, young and old, in health or frailty: be kind, be attentive, be resilient, bend with change rather than be broken by it, connect, forgive, accept, embrace. Live.
Essential reading for those living with dementia, those who support them, professionals working in the field and any ‘curious individual’ . . . Her message for those given a dementia diagnosis is to never give up on themselves
A compelling blend of how-to manual and manifesto for a more sympathetic and informed approach to the disease. Even those whose own lives have yet to be touched by Alzheimer’s and other forms of the condition . . . will surely respond to this uplifting depiction of the survival of the human spirit in the most testing of circumstances
A must-read . . . It offers readers a practical and really honest guide to life after a diagnosis of dementia . . . For anyone who's beginning this journey, I couldn't recommend it higher’ (Michael Ball, BBC Radio 2)
Revelatory . . . There are many books about dementia that focus on its biology, its clinical subtypes, its social dimension, its effect on carers and loved ones. But there are few memoirs written by the people with dementia themselves. Mitchell’s joins a burgeoning literature of medical memoirs that, like the finest travel writing or reportage, transport the reader to another world that they may or may not visit one day
Currently 50 million people worldwide live with dementia; it is estimated this will increase to 152 million by 2050. So we’d better all buy this godsend of a book . . . Wendy Mitchell is a life-saver’ (Frances Wilson)
An inspirational follow-up which shows that not all is lost when people lose their memories
Full of wisdom, honesty and warmth . . . It taught me so much about what it's like to live with dementia and what it means to be part of a community . . . An absolutely essential read (Jan Carson)
Using her impressive range of contacts, [Mitchell] augments her own experience with stories of other patients to paint a comprehensive picture of this unforgiving illness
All stars
Most relevant
In this, her second book, the author’s increased frailty is palpable in her voice as she provides first hand insights into her remarkable journey with this cruel illness, in a calm, soft, reassuring and honest way.

Of enormous value to those diagnosed with dementia and to their friends and loved ones, Wendy deserves the highest praise for her objective and intuitive wisdom.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

An invaluable contribution to mental health

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was an outstanding read and I have full admiration for Wendy for the 2 books she has written. I enjoy them both and I’ve learnt a lot from you in help with my father whom has dementia also

What I wish people knew about dementia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thankyou Wendy for the books
My mum is having dementia tests. You have helped me and Lots of other people facing the new dementia journey. What an unselfish and amazing person you are.

recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is a must read or listen for those with dementia and those living or working with someone with dementia. It changed my view on what is possible and how I want to be around my mom who will be diagnosed with dementia. It also removed my biggest fear by crying my eyes out throughout the book :)

This changed my view on how to support my mom

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A brilliant, honest, uplifting book. Made so much more poignant in that it was read by Wendy Mitchell. I laughed and cried. And I think everyone should read this, especially the professionals and families - as their actions can disempower and cause depression unnecessarily. It is not the end.

I wish I knew all of this before!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews