Untangling Early Onset Alzheimer's Atop a Penny Farthing with Peter Berry and Deb Bunt artwork
AlzAuthors: Untangling Alzheimer's & Dementia

Untangling Early Onset Alzheimer's Atop a Penny Farthing with Peter Berry and Deb Bunt

  • S2021E17
  • 56:54
  • March 29th 2021

When Peter Berry was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 50, he took an early retirement from his job working in the family’s timber business. After the devastating diagnosis, he became depressed but, being a "glass half full" personality, battled through his depression and focused on his lifelong passion for cycling. He has used this passion to raise awareness of the condition, particularly in younger people.

Peter’s whole philosophy is to live well with dementia and to inspire others to do the same. He maintains an active lifestyle due to his love of cycling, which keeps him fit both below and above the eyebrows, he says. He rides a penny farthing, a single speed bike, a road bike, and a 1950's Claud Butler, although not all at the same time – he’s good, but not that good, he jokes.

Along with his friend Deb Bunt, Peter cycles nearly every day. Their travels throughout Suffolk, England have led them to have many serious heart-to-hearts about his disease, which Deb put together in a book called Slow Puncture: Living Well with Dementia.

“It's a book about me,” Peter says, “but a book I have never read and never will read as my short-term memory means I have forgotten the previous sentence as soon as I have started a new one.”

In this episode we discuss the difficulties encountered with a dementia diagnosis at age 50, the financial pressures he’s had to overcome, and how cycling has made life with COVID tolerable.

Read Peter’s AlzAuthors Post: https://alzauthors.com/2020/12/29/early-onset-alzheimers-bunt-berry/

Start reading Slow Puncture now! https://amzn.to/3tbDsis

Note: We are an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission from book sales.

Connect with Peter Berry

Website: https://peterberrylwa.wixsite.com/peterberry/the-book 

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/DebBuntAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterBerryLivingWithAlzheimers/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterBe1130

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterberry8/

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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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.

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 avatar
Marianne Sciucco
Podcast Producer and Host

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 avatar
Christy Byrne Yates
Co-host and Producer

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.

Support Us

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.