What Do I Do Now?

Willem and Molly were married on February 10, 1984.  Molly was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007. What Do I Do Now? A Caregiver’s Journey with Alzheimer’s is a memoir in the form of 100 essays and anecdotes.  The book tracks the author’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual ups and downs watching his wife’s cognitive mind disappear.  It is an inspirational guide to coping with loss and growing stronger through the experience.

The book articulates issues that are often difficult to express or considered embarrassing, such as the end of sex, incontinence, and behavioral problems.   It includes material derived from Twelve Step programs, A Course in Miracles, and Buddhist meditation practice.

The storyline follows the patient and caregiver from diagnosis to placement in a memory-care facility to a near-death crisis and beyond.  Where the bestselling novel and movie Still Alice told the story of Alzheimer’s from inside the patient, this book tells it from the point of view of the spouse/caregiver.