Abstract
The Japanese Therapists: Another Alzheimer’s Autobiography. Mike Livni, Published by Mike Livni, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Mike Livni has worked in dementia care for 22 years, serving on the boards of Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Association (ARDA) in South Africa as well as Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). In the early 1990s he became aware of my own work with early stage support groups and was instrumental in bringing it to the ADI forum. While helping to advocate and raise awareness he also began to facilitate early stage groups for people with dementia and their families in South Africa. Now he has arrived at the pinnacle of a 10-year effort to accurately diagnose his own symptoms of dementia, and would like his first-hand experience to be heard by others.
The Japanese Therapists is a masterful weaving of Mike’s personal and professional backgrounds; the writing process with the impact of the disease; and the quest for a diagnosis with the journey to accept it. Because he wants us to understand what Alzheimer’s is like for him, he chose not to perfect the text in terms of editing and flow, so we witness in raw and authentic form how his thinking is affected by slowly progressing cognitive impairment. What may at first seem scattered and disorganized, however, quickly becomes quite engaging. One must admire the skill and courage it took to persevere in recording his story while simultaneously facing and integrating his decline. We are with him ‘in real time’ as he painstakingly writes the book while poignantly searching for answers that were unknowable (as symptoms were mild) for quite some time.
The story unfolds around such themes as working through denial; maintaining independence versus needing assistance; retaining one’s personhood; the ongoing impact on his relationship with his wife, colleagues and others; and the search for and reaction to his diagnosis. Mike’s ongoing reflections are posed to the only ‘therapists’ he worked with during this process, Mr Sanyo and Mr Sony. who, being tape recorders, listened without judgment or criticism.
This is a unique and fascinating read that I highly recommend. Although experienced in the field of early stage dementia, I was educated and enriched by Mike’s interesting (and at times wildly funny) anecdotes, clever musings, and honest expression of feelings. After championing early stage work in his own country and internationally, Mike Livni now contributes to our understanding of the early dementia experience and reminds us of the power one can find to cope with it.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California, USA