Peltiger Rina Stamm writes in France “What is today?” A sad and sometimes funny book about dementia

Rina Stam will present the book “What Day is Today?” This spring. This story is written largely from the thoughts of her mother, who suffered from dementia for years and passed away last March. “At the beginning of her illness, her mother would often ask what day it was. At that time I would often write a book with the title ‘One Day.’” says Rina, who moved to France from Bilt-Schütslot last year, I’ve been working really hard on it in recent months.”

After the necessary renovation, I found the time there in calm and nature to write the book. In spite of ‘Which day are we?’ She is a mixture of fact and fiction, and she draws largely from her own experience. Her mother suffered from dementia like her grandmother and great-grandmother. “He started to forget. She lived with us at the time. Slowly the disease crept into her and into our lives. After thirteen years in a nursing home, my mother passed away this spring,” says Rina.

About the disease process

Despite her moments of misery and despair, she doesn’t just look back negatively on her mother’s illness. “What has struck me the most is that the disease is not in a narrow descending line. Even shortly before her death, my mother sometimes had a moment of clarity. I am convinced that people with more dementia swim their souls between heaven and earth. The initial process in which I noticed the onset of dementia. Shocking. But later, the process is especially difficult for others. We still see our loved ones because we are healthy people, but they no longer know themselves as we do. After the initial period of dementia, accompanied by anger and doubt, Ma slowly found peace and then her personality returned Kind and cheerful to appear.”

spiritual experience

What’s special is that Rina describes most of the book from her mother’s ideas. And that’s while the mother never shared it. Rina considers it a spiritual experience. “As I was sitting in front of my laptop, I closed my eyes and asked my mother how she suffered from the disease. Then I got the lyrics in my head and my fingers naturally flew over the keyboard. I got stuck at the end of the book. I found it hard to let the story end with the death of the main character, My mother, while she was still alive. Then I closed my eyes again and asked her how I should finish the book. “Let me die,” I heard what she was saying in her accent. I wrote the ending then and ten days later my mother had already passed away. The book is over and she can go.

sad and funny

‘What day are we? ‘It is a well-known book for people who, for whatever reason, have to deal with dementia. No doubt others are surprised by the disease process and its effect on their loved ones. Rina describes everything from the first signs of forgetfulness to experiences in care centers and finally the dying process. This results in many sad, scary and funny experiences. In the first part, the protagonist Frances describes her pathology, in the second part the story of the daughter Stella is pivotal.

Pre-sale order of the book

‘Which day are we?’ He is expected to be released at the end of May. The book is now on sale in pre-sale (15 euros instead of 18.50) via www.boekenvanrina.nl / book -1 or by [email protected] † ALSO FOLLOW THE FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074737898575 † After release, Rina Stam will give lectures and presentations about the book and her experiences with dementia. The first agreements with care centers for this purpose have already been concluded.