Untangling Young-Onset Alzheimer's with Wendy Mitchell artwork
AlzAuthors: Untangling Alzheimer's & Dementia

Untangling Young-Onset Alzheimer's with Wendy Mitchell

  • S2020E1
  • 37:03
  • November 2nd 2020

Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia in 2014 at the age of 58. At the time she worked for Britain’s National Health Service as a non-clinical team leader. Her diagnosis led to an early retirement. Post diagnosis, she was shocked by the lack of awareness surrounding young-onset dementia in both the community and the clinical world, and started a blog, Which Me Am I Today? to document and share her dementia journey. This led to her travelling around the country as a respected speaker, raising awareness and encouraging others to embrace her passion for research. She eventually published a memoir, Somebody I Used to Know, with the help of author and journalist Anna Wharton, which became a national bestseller. Reviewers call it “Revelatory” (The Guardian), “A Miracle” (Telegraph), and “A Landmark Book” (Financial Times). She is the recipient of two honorary doctorates ( Hull University, “Doctor of the University” and Bradford University, “Honorary Degree of Doctor of Health”) and playfully refers to herself as “Doctor Doctor Wendy Mitchell.”

Purchase Somebody I Used to Know on Amazon https://amzn.to/3dmxTWh

Interview: How Do You Write a Memoir When You Can’t Remember? By Wendy Mitchell & Anne Wharton, published in Granta https://granta.com/how-do-you-write-a-memoir-when-you-cant-remember/

Wendy Mitchell on AlzAuthors.com:

Which Me Am I Today? https://alzauthors.com/2017/12/12/meet-author-wendy-mitchell/

Somebody I Used to Know https://alzauthors.com/2018/05/29/welcome-back-wendy-mitchell-author-of-somebody-i-used-to-know/

COVID-19 Video of Hope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4azNld5CBI&feature=youtu.be

Follow Wendy on Twitter https://twitter.com/WendyPMitchell

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.

We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. Your generosity will help cover our many operating costs, which include website hosting and maintenance fees, service charges to keep things running smoothly, and marketing expenses to promote our authors, expand our content, improve our reach, and more. Our ongoing work supports our mission to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. To sustain our efforts please visit https://alzauthors.com/donate/ .

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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.