Love Lost to the Long Goodbye of Alzheimer's - Jan's Story

This is very well written. What I particularly like is that he did not eliminate details of just how this disease ravages relationships--including sex. His honesty is admirable.

I don't see how anyone could ever fault him for seeking a new companion--even though Jan is still alive. He has done everything he can and it is obvious that he still loves and respects the person she was--even though her personality has changed drastically.

This book was our book club's July selection. Rarely have I felt so much disdain for an author. The book should have been titled Barry's Story. It was Barry Petersen's account of how his wife's illness affected him. It was full of self pity. I believe he kept referring to his wife's illness (Alzheimer's) as The Disease in order to distance himself from the illness and his wife. He constantly looked to others to legitimize his decisions. I believe he surrounded himself with people who would agree with him. His wife did not choose to leave him via her illness; the illness chose her. I would hope that my husband would show more compassion should I be stricken with this disease. I am sure that I would show more compassion if my husband fell victim to Alzheimer's. I guess I have taken seriously the vows we spoke to each other when we married.

This book is very thought provoking. I am a caregiver and this book provided me with support and encouragement. It is startling to know how "The Disease" is striking more people each year. Many people should become educated about caregiving and "The Disease." I would highly recommend this book.

Never before have I read a novel so brutally honest and so beautifully written. Barry masks nothing in this heart-wrenching retelling of his wife's diagnosis with "The Disease." After crying tears of sorrow for his loss, as well as tears of joy for his determination to carry on, I can honestly say that Barry's story will remain in my heart for years to come. Thank you, Barry, for sharing with the world what true compassion is. I believe there are many who will benefit from this powerful demonstration of honesty and love.

This is one of the most emotionally "true" books that I have ever read! Barry Peterson bares his soul in Jan's and his most difficult journey. His love and devotion for Jan is unrelenting. Barry's personal pain is palpable as he brings us into this frightening world of alzheimers disease. This book will become a standard for those who suffer from this disease, and for the caretakers who love them.

This is a book for everyone, not just people with family members or friends diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Jan's Story is a true story about love, devotion and incredible strength. It chronicles the long, slow process of losing the mind and affections of the love of your life, stolen by Early Onset Alzheimer's. It also breaks new territory by making the reader think about what they would do to continue living life and finding new love while still loving and caring for a spouse who can't remember them. Start reading and you won't want to put it down.Jan's Story: Love lost to the long goodbye of Alzheimer's

I have mixed feelings about this book. There are certain aspects which don't quite seem "right" to me, such as the diagnosis of his wife over the telephone, his mention of her annual(!) visits to a neurologist, or her erratic passage through the "stages" of Alzheimer's, to name a few. None of these ring true to me given my own experience as my spouse's caretaker. I won't judge Mr. Petersen but given his obvious financial resources it just seems odd to me that he would move his wife into assisted living so early into her disease while she seemed quite capable of functioning under his care and guidance. Perhaps he simply knew his own limitations and acted accordingly. Perhaps expending energy on his career felt more important. We all react differently to challenges. While I certainly don't begrudge the man his happiness with a new woman, I'm not sure why he included his new beginning in the book. Starting a new relationship is clearly his story, NOT Jan's, a woman who already felt like a ghost from the first pages of the book.

As a caretaker I don't know if I would recommend this book to others in similar situations. Each person's story is different and this one was just too far removed from my reality to be of any assistance to me as my spouse and I share our own Alzheimer's journey together.

Barry Petersen, an award-winning CBS correspondent, was living a happy and globe-trotting life with his beloved wife, Jan, when she received the diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Living in Tokyo at the time, Barry struggled to make sense of Jan's episodes before finally hearing the diagnosis from a San Francisco based neurologist. In Jan's Story, he describes the progression of what he calls The Disease, the learning curve of becoming Jan's caregiver, his own emotional struggles and his eventual decision to place Jan in an assisted living facility.

Jan's Story is a very honest and touching look into what it feels like to lose someone to early onset Alzheimer's disease, and into what it means to be a caregiver for that person. Barry Peterson spares no details when it comes to describing his journey and I can only assume that his recollections are accurate, or at least as accurate as he remembers them. He covers everything from initial signs, behavioral changes, Jan's coping mechanisms and diagnostic tools to care giving challenges, emotional responses and reactions by family and friends.

I believe that his intent with Jan's Story was to provide others in similar situations with a feeling that they are not alone, and he definitely succeeded in that regard. Given that many people assume that Alzheimer's is a disease that only affects the very elderly, Barry also gives a different face to the disease - that of his wife Jan. Prior to her diagnosis, Jan was vibrant and lively, with many more years ahead of her. She loved to be around people and was often the life of the party. She was by no means the typical person someone would associate with Alzheimer's, and yet she was another one of this terrible disease's victims.

Bought this for my Papa for Christmas. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 4 years ago. It truly is a family disease, opposed to a patient disease. He said this book brought up many emotions, but overall, he was very thankful to relive some moments and learn new emotions.

Jan Petersen was a vivacious attractive woman who had worked as a television journalist. But in her mid-fifties, she was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzeimer's.

This loving memoir, written by her television correspondent husband, follows her sudden and rapid decline from his beloved wife to a childlike creature who only needs care. Despite the necessity to place her in an assisted living facility, he continues to provide whatever she needs. He will always love her, even though she no longer knows who he is.

Petersen also describes how Jan's illness has affected him, both physically and emotionally. I know from personal experience how Alzheimer's can wear down the family members trying to be caregivers.

The book is definitely a heart-breaker, but one that everyone should read.

I felt like Barry's good friend, listening and comforting him through his own journey as he watched his beloved wife disappear. I can't imagine how difficult this was for him to write. What a superbly written resource this book is. Whether you have a spouse with Alzheimer's disease or you have a loved friend or family member who is coping with this, this book is invaluable.

When the Alzheimer association sent me a copy, I was skeptical. I have been through everything he did. I can guarantee this takes over your life. It will break you, Mentally and financially. I would have sworn that Barry was looking over my shoulder. I don't feel as guilty for my thoughts now. If I could find a woman, I would do the same. After all it has been over 7 years since I have had the companionship of a woman. I miss it terribly

By any measure, the sensitivity,love and rare uncluttered honesty enables the reader to visualize and fully absorb, as best we can, the burden and loss brought on by this dread disease. However, Barry Peterson's beautiful writing is at once uplifting and sympathetic to the lives of those affected by Alzheimers'. He is able to decribe the loss of a loved one and the full appreciation of what they shared. He takes those thoughts and leaves us with the belief that the best way we can honor the lost love is to continue the state of mind and the sharing with others of the positive aspects of our lives. Jan's Story is truly gripping and difficult to put down.

This book blew me away - tears one minute, laughter the next (really!) but mostly honest all the way through. It really is the inside look into how Alzheimer's wrecks lives, but it also has a pretty unexpected ending because the author talks about going on and finding a new love. Some people may not like that, but he talks about how that actually helps in taking care of his wife, Jan, who has the disease. If you know someone with Alzheimer's, or have a friend who is a caregiver, you need to read this book.

Be careful...once you start, it is impossible to put down.

Barry Petersen openly shares his experiences in coping with his wife's early onset Alzheimer's Disease, but he is being disingenuous by naming the book, Jan's Story. The book is about the challenges he faces in caring for a wife who is becomming more and more disoriented. It's about his search for appropriate caregivers when she becomes difficult to deal with. It's about his emotional needs and Jan's inability to respond to them. It's about Mr. Peterson's search for validation for his choice to turn to another woman while still married to Jan. This is Barry's story.

In this book, Barry Petersen, exposes his feelings about the slow decline of his wife to Alzheimer's, but he also describes his journey about moving forward. This is a love story on all counts. Jan's Story is a must read for all who have experienced the loss of a loved one and for anyone currently undergoing this incredibly emotional experience.

This book is about Barry, not Jan. Mostly about the trials and tribulations Barry experienced, not much about those that Jan experienced. Barry is very much a Me Generation fellow. All is well with Barry now, but sadly, not with Jan. If you want to learn about how Alzheimer's affects the afflicted, this is not the book to read.

I was deeply disappointed in this book. It was primarily a self-serving defense of the author's apparent need to find another lover before his wife was dead. I couldn't be more disgusted with this 'husband'. Poor Jan.