Patti Callahan Henry Untangles What it Means to Remember
- S2022E72
- 44:31
- August 9th 2022
What are memories? Do our memories make us who we are? What happens to “us” when our memory fails, and cognitive decline ensues? I discussed these profound questions with one of my favorite authors, Patti Callahan Henry. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels, a podcast host, and a co-creator and host of the popular show, Friends & Fiction. Prior to becoming an author, she was a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with a fascination for memory and focused on neurology and brain trauma. Her novel, The Favorite Daughter, joined our collection of carefully vetted books in November 2019.
“Memory,” she says, “haunts all my work but takes center stage in this one. Who do we become without those memories?”
Patti is the recipient of The Christy Award 2019 Winner “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year for 2020, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for 2019. She is also a contributor to the monthly life lesson essay column for Parade Magazine. A full-time author and mother of three, she now resides in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband.
In this podcast, we explore how our memories define us, if they do, the landscape of memory, and the concept of “ambiguous loss.”
After the Podcast
Read Patti’s AlzAuthors post: Memory is at the Heart of Patti Callahan Henry’s The Favorite Daughter
Purchase The Favorite Daughter on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2D9TDnQ
Note: We are an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission from book sales.
Connect with Patti
Watch Friends & Fiction on Wednesdays at 7 pm, EST
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About the Podcast
AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.
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AlzAuthors: Untangling Alzheimer's & Dementia
Welcome to the AlzAuthors podcast! We’re so glad you found us. We are the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Join us each week as one of our authors shares their dementia journey, revealing intimate details and painfully obtained knowledge to help others currently on this path. We hope our stories offer comfort and support as we strive to break the silence and stigma surrounding a dementia diagnosis. May one of our authors speak to your experience. For more info please visit https://alzauthors.com.
Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.
Meet Our Hosts
Marianne Sciucco is a registered nurse, dementia daughter, and author of the novel Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story, based on a couple she met through her work. It is a testament to the power of love in the face of this heart-wrenching disease. Marianne cared for hundreds of dementia patients over a 20+-year nursing career. She provided care to her stepfather during his dementia journey, and witnessed the painful decline of four beloved aunts to the disease. She's a founding member of AlzAuthors, sits on the Board, and is a director and manager. She can talk about AlzAuthors all day.
Christy Byrne Yates is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP), retired school psychologist, author, speaker and coach/consultant. Her book, Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation recounts her journey as a working mother of two who also managed the care of her parents, both of whom had some form of dementia. Combining her lived experience with her professional expertise in human development, wellness and a strengths based approach to finding solutions, Christy develops content, workshops and coaching to support Sandwiched families. She incorporates meditation, mindfulness and other evidence based mind/body practices into her work. She’s worked with care communities, financial professionals, estate planners and employers. Christy has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and graduate credentials in both education and school psychology.
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AlzAuthors is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. The podcast is one way we provide knowledge, comfort, and support to busy caregivers desperate for information. Your generosity will help us to continue our mission to lift the silence and stigma that often accompanies a dementia diagnosis. Please consider making a donation. Thank you.