About the Author

Richard Taylor has lived for over five years with a diagnosis of dementia probably of the Alzheimer's type. A former psychologist, he is now a champion for individuals with early-stage and early-onset Alzheimer's disease.Richard served on the board of the Houston and Southeast Texas Alzheimer’s Association and is now a member of a special committee of the National Alzheimer's Association looking at how to evaluate and provide effective support to individuals in the early stages of the disease. He has started over 50 chat rooms worldwide for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones and he is also the editor of a quarterly newsletter for people with early-onset, early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.Originally Richard started writing essays to better understand for himself what was going on inside of him. He now writes to share his experiences with other individuals with the disease and their caregivers. His insights into himself and the disease are always honest, direct, poignant, and sometimes even witty. His essays have been published in Alzheimer’s Care Quarterly.Richard lives in Cypress, Texas with his spouse Linda and his Bouvier des Flandres dog, Annie. His son and family live across the street from him. He spends his days playing with his two grandchildren, gardening, and writing.

Reviews

"[These essays] have given me lots of insight as to what goes on inside my mom's mind. It's hard being on the outside trying to figure out what's going on inside."-- (01/01/2001)

"After reading this book I have come to the conclusion that this is perhaps the most important book in the field of dementia care ever written ... Dr. Taylor writes with passion and humor about a wide range of topics that capture the experience of living with a diagnosis of "probable Alzheimer's disease" ... These poignant essays come from the heart and the soul of a sensitive and intellectually gifted man who has become a national champion and advocate for the millions of people living with this disease."-- (01/01/2001)

"Among the millions with this cruel disease, Richard is rare in that his preserved memory, language, and thinking skills made possible these essays about his experience of the disease. He offers valuable insights to family and professional caregivers seeking to uphold the dignity of all people living with the disease. A debt of gratitude is owed to him, his wife, and his family for refusing to go gentle into that good night."-- (01/01/2001)

"Dr. Taylor's words shed light on a very dark experience and the reader is led out of the darkness by his frankness, his humor, and most of all his spirit "alive within me." His penetrating and pleading comments related to care giving cause the reader to take a deep breath, pause, and move forward with much greater insight into the complexity of these emotional relationships. Are these innovative words asking too much of the reader? I think not. We have been shielded too long from the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease; these fresh words compel us to shed our misperceptions and enter into the world of those who command our attention. Through Dr. Taylor's beautiful language and poignant reflections, we approach some clarity about the long neglected and misunderstood phenomenological experience of those living with Alzheimer's disease."-- (01/01/2001)

"Extraordinary, brilliantly insightful, inspirational, courageous, thought-provoking--there is no end to the positive descriptors that can be attached to this amazing book by Richard Taylor. Alzheimer's from the Inside Out is not only a must read for persons with Alzheimer's and their personal and professional care partners, it is, plain and simple, a must-read book."-- (01/01/2001)

"I thought I understood what life was like for my Alzheimer's-affected parents-until Richard's story enlightened me with insight into an unimaginable world. Every family with an elderly loved one, and every medical professional who works with elders, should read this gripping and marvelous book!"-- (01/01/2001)

"Richard is our canary in the coal mine. He is chirping, trilling, humming. His advancement through life's thickets lead him inside, around, and back. His questions, yearnings, satisfactions, regrets, challenges, humor, and provocations are warnings we all must head."-- (01/01/2001)

"Such a personal telling of a tale . . . Part Eric Berne, part Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond, part the final movement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, this work moves one to tears."-- (01/01/2001)

"This is not an ordinary book. It is an extraordinary collection of anecdotes, ruminations, insights, comparisons, literary allusion and blinding insights. Be prepared to be challenged. Be prepared to reflect on your own human failings and joy at not having Alzheimer's disease. But most importantly, be prepared to read this book."-- (01/01/2001)

"Written with sensitivity, humor, and passion, Alzheimer's from the Inside Out describes the author's sometimes bumpy, but always insightful, journey with Alzheimer's disease. Telling his stories in a series of informative vignettes, Richard challenges us all to be more authentic and work to make life better for persons with dementia--not tomorrow, but today!"-- (01/01/2001)

How poignant [these essays] are in expressing life with AD. [This] is a perspective I had not heard before and the insight is invaluable to me as a caregiver for my dad."-- (01/01/2001)