Revd Ivan Mann in the Church Times - {Full Review}
. . . the central challenge of this book: to understand and affirm that people with dementia may be seen primarily as people - people 'unconditionally held within the love of God', people who retain their personhood until death, though it may be difficult to access.
. . . Goldsmith gives a lucid and challenging overview of the range of symptoms and behaviours that are covered by the single word 'dementia'. Then, with knowledge and compassion, he looks at communication and caring. here he offers hope and understanding, as much to the carers as to the person who has dementia.
I have had the care of a relative with dementia, and I wish this book had been available to me at the time. Above all, it offers hope . . . it is Goldsmith's knowledge and understanding of the condition, together with his pastoral ministry and faith, which will make this book helpful to churches and ministers who want to deepen their understanding and broaden their ministry . . .
The Revd Ruth Innes in 'INSPIRES' - the magazine of the Scottish Episcopal Church - {Full Review}
Every church should have a copy of Malcolm Goldsmith's book, and every priest, member of a ministry team, and pastoral visitor should read it. Whether they are personally involved with someone who has dementia or not, the reader will find something in its pages which challenges, comforts and widens their horizons ....... Malcolm...has the ability to take a complicated medical condition and put it into words which make it easy for any layperson to understand and empathise. What makes his book a joy to read is the fact that it is completely person-centred and is a mine of easy-to-read information and practical suggestions ..... this book comes highly recommended. Be prepared to lend it often.
Albert Jewell in 'PLUS' - the magazine of the Christian Council on Ageing Vol 20 No 3 July 2004 - {Full Review}
To anyone with an interest in or concern about dementia I would unhesitatingly say: whatever else, get this book! This applies to people facing a diagnosis of dementia, their families, professional carers, and especially local churches to whom the book is specifically directed . . . . Difficult aspects of the subject receive honest treatment: sexuality, so-called 'challenging behaviour', the person's 'right to know', and the exhaustion and guilt often experienced by spouses and other family members. We are given helpful excerpts from a wide variety of writers about dementia and Malcolm's own words are often eminently quotable . . . . All in all the book is very comprehensive. I found the list of references extraordinarily full . . . . Malcolm Goldsmith has expressed the hope that a copy of this book will reach every minister and local church. It deserves to do so. If it does - and is not only read but implemented - there should be a very real change in the way in which people with dementia (and indeed other marginalised people) are accepted, affirmed and cared for. . . .
Diann Baxley in "Dementia" Vol 4 (2) 2005 - {Full Review}
In a Strange Land is a refreshing mix of practical tools for working with individuals with dementia within the church, and a reminder of the compassion deserving of any individual suffering from an illness. Malcolm Goldsmith clearly has a grasp of dementia and the role of the church as a support mechanism for the spiritual needs of the individual and family.... it is apparent that he has extensive personal and professional knowledge of both the illness and religion. He brilliantly combines this knowledge with research to create a work that will prove useful to professionals and laypersons alike.
The Rev Ailsa Beech in the Church Pastoral Aid Society's magazine - {Full Review}
I particularly liked Goldsmith's style and skill of presentation. he offers an overview of the range of symptoms and behaviours covered by dementia, making the medical condition accessible for the lay person to understand. as well as being very readable, it is rich in practical advice and is set out in a thoughtful and well-documented theological and pastoral framework. The ten pages of valuable references at the end of the book are indicative of Goldsmith's thorough research.
The book contains information that people with dementia will want to know - and which those who minister ought to know.
The chapter on worship is creative . . . the prayers at the end of every chapter are particularly poignant.
Suzanne McDonald in the Christian Council on Ageing Dementia Group Newsletter No 24 - {Full Review}
In a Strange Land provides both a sure guide for those wondering how to begin to journey alongside people with dementia and a resource to which those who have shared that journey for longer will want to turn for further inspoiration and encouragement. .... Especially valuable is the highly sensitive way in which Goldsmith deals with the most disturbing features of dementia, from seeking to understand challenging behaviour to issues surrounding dementia and sexuality. Similarly, the care with which Goldsmith explores the demands placed on families is essential reading for all who seek to support those closest to people with dementia. . . .
In a Strange Land also offers family, friends and those beginning to come to terms with the onset of dementia a clear, honest and sympathetic resource to help with the questions to which a diagnosis of dementia gives rise. The riches in this volume serve to give all of us courage - people with dementia, families, carers, congregations and church leaders - in the realisation that there is indeed much we can do to 'engage the mind, touch the heart, feed the soul'.
Canon Ian Ainsworth-Smith in 'The Bridge' the newspaper of the diocese of Southwark - {Full Review}
Pastors are frequently asked by people in personal crisis to suggest something 'helpful' which they might read to help them make sense of their experience. I have learnt to be cautious of recommending books as a panacea.. . . . But I heartily recommend this book .... which is rich in practical advice, but set out in a thoughtful and documented theological and pastoral framework. If the measure of good pastoral care is its 'praxis', the linking of what is done and an underlying theological coherence, this book succeeds.. . . . . . he never sentimentalises or underestimates the difficulties but a thread runs throughout of thoughtful prayerful respect for everyone whose lives may be touched by dementia...
Margaret Daniels
in the Methodist Recorder - {Full Review}
The powerful combination of the academic, the practical and the empathetic make this book required reading for all who would wish to know 'What does it feel like to have dementia?' rather than simply 'What is dementia?'.
Bishop George Hacker in Chrism - the journal of the Guild of St Raphael - {Full Review}
This present book . . . comes out of a long period of sustained thought combined with practical experience. As such it speaks with real authority, which even the diffident and at times hesitant and undogmatic appreoach of the author cannot disguise. All in all it is an important as well as a timely book. . . . . one of the remarkable things about this book is the insight it gives into what the onset of dementia actually means and feels like to the individuals concerned, and for that alone it is of untold value. . . . . this is a very readable book, full of practical help, but one which also touches the depths. Above all, it has a gospel to proclaim: that whatever may be happening within their brains, people with dementia are still people, because they are unconditionally held within the love of God. You will find that re-iterated in one way or another on almost every page, and it is something which has enormous consequences for all of us.
In 'Dementia in Scotland' - the newsletter of the Alzheimer Scotland - {Full Review}
. . . I was pleased to find many practical tips, including communication and coping with visiting and although written from a Christian perspective, I think the book would be helpful for a much wider audience. . . .
In 'Life & Work' - the magazine of the Church of Scotland - {Full Review}
. . . this book offers practical help to ministers and church leaders in caring for those who are afflicted by this debilitating condition. It is a hybrid of factual and spiritual, offering informed statistics and comment . . . along with helpful quotations both from those who have suffered and acted as carers and from inspirational writers . . .
Rachel Stowe - in Home & Family the magazine of the Mothers' Union - {Full Review}
This title is apt, for many in the early stages of dementia feel they are entering strange uncharted territory . . . . The author . . helps us to chart this extensive territory. Describing dementia as a 'growth industry', which is still in its infancy as regards our understanding and the provision of services . . . . . get it, discuss it, use it.
In New Directions August 2004 - {Full Review}
As an ex-psychiatric nurse and having had first hand experience of dementia within the family, I welcome Malcolm Goldsmith's handbook . . .Any book or advice which helps ordinary members of the clergy or congregation to accept people who are 'different' is appreciated, but I fear that in some congregations this acceptance may be a long time coming . . . . Fr Goldsmith understands these problems . . . he is rightly insistent on the challenge not to see a person with dementia, but a person with dementia, and likewise nursing homes, as opposed to nursing homes, and I guess that a goodly number of us would have put the stress on the other without having really thought about it. . . . One particular section that struck a chord was when talking with carers, not to talk about 'loved ones' unless very sure about the relationship. Many a loveless marriage in latter years has nearly come to grief with the onset of dementia, with the carer being placed in a role that he/she did not ask for and definitely did not want, but doing it purely out of guilt and duty. This book makes one think, and it also encourages one to ask more questions . . . a copy of this book would be a welcome addition to a church library and may help more people than expected.
Barry Furness in Across the See - the newspaper of the Diocese of Norwich - {Full Review}
I hadn't considered the issue of how to provide meaningful worship, formal or informal, to those with dementia in order that they may be able to long continue their relationship with God. Yet I have recently watched a member of my congregation battle against the rapid decline which dementia causes. Malcolm has done so in a helpful and thoughtful way. If you are in any form of church leadership role get hold of a copy of this book - it's well worth having.
In 'C The Magazine' of the Diocese of Southwell -
How do we understand and support people with dementia? A new book ' In a Strange Land' .... is a mine of information and great encouragement for those involved in this important area of ministry
Ray Hume - in The Writer: Journal of the Society of Medical Writers - {Full Review}
This is an unusual and special book ... Dementia is for many people an unattractive subject difficult to become enthusiastic about, but the author makes a compelling argument for greater understanding, compassion and less therapeutic nihilism in our approach to this common and devastating illness.
The book is aimed at carers and sufferers who are brave enough to seek to know more about the progression of the illness and options for care but, in passing, the author makes the point that GPs often display poor understanding of these issues and inconsistent responses to them . . . .
The first half of the book is an extremely comprehensive and well-researched account of the epidemiology and natural history of dementia and its effect on carers ... most importantly, he gives prominence to the views of sufferers, who in the past were often thought incapable of contributing much of value once they began their slide into the abyss of cognitive impairment . . .
I think this book could be taken as a model for excellence in our approaches to other illnesses, where preservation of self-worth is critical . . .
Delyth Aldrick & Reverend Canon Roger Young - in Signpost Journal on mental health, dementia, (including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, depression etc.), and memory problems in Older People - {Full Review}
During the first part of the book Goldsmith attempts to describe the symptoms and behaviours that arise in people who have dementia. This is extremely well done for the lay reader and the metaphors he draws provide a very helpful understanding of the disease process. At every opportrunity he introduces example of the feelings and thoughts of real people who have written about their own experience of living with dementia, as well as the thoughts and feelings of those who care for them . . .
This is a book that should be read and reflected on by all Christians, for what is said about dementia could be applied to other diseases and afflictions from which women and men suffer . . . . the book is about dementia, but it could be read as a guide to the ways in which churches approach the Disability Discrimination Act . . . .
Mark Cheesman - in Triple Helix: for today's Christian doctor - {Full Review}
This book offers a compassionate and well-informed look at the world of dementia .... (the author) paints a realistic and forthright picture of the problems of dementia, and talks straightforwardly about the difficulties and opportunities of reaching out through visiting and 'alongside' ministries to both sufferers from dementia and their carers . . . Overall this is a highly useful introduction to the ministry of caring for these people and should be required reading for all ministers and elders.
The Venerable Christopher Laurence - in the Lincoln Cathedral Quarterly - {Full Review}
Malcolm Goldsmith is an Anglican priest who has studied, lectured and written extensively on the subject of dementia. Now he has published a book specifically for church members and their ministers. He believes that they have an important contribution to make, in support of the sufferers themselves and of those who care for them (and there are 5.7 million informal carers in this country, half of whom are looking after someone aged over 75). Christian faith inspires reverence, hope and love for every person, most especially the deprived, the marginalised and the dispossessed, among whom without doubt are dementia-sufferers. . . . .
. . . . He describes the processes and experience of the disease, of which, of course, there are many gathered under the umbrella title of Alzheimer's. He provides a biography of books for reference and suggests ways of coping and he gives many examples of successful communication with sufferers who have been thought to be beyond reach. . . .
. . . . This is a challenging as well as a hopeful book
Clephane Hume - in Cornerstone the magazine of St John's Episcopal Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh - {Full Review}
This book deserves a wide readership. Church members and clergy cannot fail to gain from reading it, and institutional carers would also benefit from the broader understanding of the meaning of dementia to those they are looking after. (How many textbooks contain an index with multiple entries for hope, love and understanding?) . . . . . Malcolm . . . has the knack of being able to convey his knowledge to others in a way which is eminently understandable, person centred and never patronising. The material is brought alive through compassionately presented vignettes . . . (he) makes suggestions which we are all capable of following. This information is what people want to know and what those who minister ought to know. Buy it, read it and reach out to those who need support. And keep it handy for reference.
Dr Robin Stewart - in The Sign the magazine of St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh - {Full Review}
This new book . . is very welcome and will give a valuable insight into this condition for carers and patients. It should be mandatory reading for all medical students and family doctors who will find useful information not available in standard medical textbooks . . . . . The author makes a strong plea for what he terms a person-centred approach to dementia rather than a bio-medical one. The latter tends to focus on dementia as a disease rather than a disability and in the past was characterised by 'profound therapeutic nihilism' . . . wise advice is given . . and much of this could equally be applied to the way in which we deal with learning difficulties or mental ill health. . . . . . the second half of this thoughtful book deals with matters of spirituality, religion and faith and the author does not shirk from trying to provide answers to the difficult questions that may be asked by patients and carers alike . . . . there are few people who would not gain new thoughts and knowledge about the many aspects of dementia by reading this book.
Click here for some reviews of Malcolm's earlier book.