Song for Rosaleen, published by Massey University Press this month, describes one family’s encounter with the tough realities of dementia.
It is a powerful, tender, beautifully written memoir about caring for a much-loved mother, told with compassion, insight and humour by her daughter, award-winning writer Pip Desmond. While the story is intensely personal, the impending global dementia epidemic gives it universal interest.
When Rosaleen Desmond first showed signs of losing her memory, she was in her early seventies, living alone. The author gives a courageous account of the practical and ethical dilemmas that faced the family as they struggled to get a diagnosis and support their mother during her illness. The voices of Rosaleen’s five other children echo throughout the narrative as emails and remembered conversations.
As well as exploring illness, ageing and aged care, Song for Rosaleen reflects on the complexity of family dynamics, the perils of writing about real people, and the slippery nature of truth.
Dementia robbed Rosaleen of her memory and independence but it could not destroy her spirit. The book is ultimately a celebration of an unsung life typical of many women of her generation. It raises important questions about who we become when our memories fail, how our rapidly ageing population can best be cared for, and what this means for us all.
Song for Rosaleen is available for purchase from the Massey University Press website.
About the author
Pip Desmond is a Wellington writer, editor, oral historian and former parliamentary press secretary. She is the author of the award-winning Trust: A True Story of Women and Gangs and The War That Never Ended: New Zealand veterans remember Korea. Pip has a Master of Arts in creative writing and runs communications company 2Write with her husband Pat. They have three children and four grandchildren.