During the twelve years that author Rosella Leslie was her husband John’s primary caregiver, she came to accept that she didn’t cause, couldn’t cure, and absolutely couldn’t control the dementia that attacked his brain. But in time she also found that what she could control was her own response to the impact this disease had on their lives.

In this memoir, she reveals with honesty and compassion the guilt and shame she experienced for not being or doing enough for John, for her emotional outbursts and for wanting to escape what began to feel like a life-sentence in a rapidly shrinking prison. But much more than just a memoir of loss, Losing Us is an informal guide to dementia caregiving, providing links to caregiver resources and showing friends, families and the community what they can do to help. Leslie’s insights demonstrate that dark thoughts and harsh feelings are not shortcomings but a natural response to being in an impossible situation, and she encourages caregivers to keep putting one foot in front of the other as they move toward the faint light of hope that shines at the end of this very dark tunnel.