Cat Burglars and Carousels

About the Book

Cat Burglars and Carousels: My Mom’s Descent into the Pit of Dementia tells the story of a family’s many transitions that arise from the effects of dementia on the mother of Janice Hallmark, the author. Adopting the format of a journal, she shares reflections, marked by the passing days, that chronicle the accumulating effects of dementia on her mother, the compounding changes in her family’s life, and the inspiring reasons for retaining hope.

Cat Burglars and Carousels, the work of a woman whose art is working with words, does not hide raw feelings of anger and sadness and fear behind a façade of innocuous phrases. Rather, it shares in unflinchingly honest and blunt ways the ups and downs that come with accompanying a loved one on the journey that descends into dementia’s pit.

You might have gone through an experience like the one the author shares. Perhaps you are only taking the first steps on your journey. Maybe you know someone who faces the diagnosis of dementia in a loved one. Regardless, you will find in Cat Burglars and Carousels: My Mom’s Descent into the Pit of Dementia an honest telling of one woman’s experience, which can offer you guidance and encouragement.

About the Author

Janice Hallmark is a writer and a speaker. She has been a member of Toastmasters International since 1999. She has two absolutes in her life. “Never back down from fighting injustice!” And, “Humor is a powerful weapon, use it. I’ve always told my kids, at my memorial service, they have to say two things. That I was a good mom and I was funny. The good mom is optional. Funny is required.”