It is frightening because it opens the door wide on a whole other world for sufferers and carers.

Figures show that one in 25 Australians over 60 suffer Alzheimer’s, and that number is predicted to increase rapidly.

Sharon Snir has written a lovely book about her family’s experiences of Alzheimer’s. Yes, there is such a thing as a lovely book about Alzheimer’s.

From the beginnings when her mother first began to forget things, to the creeping fear and devastation of “diagnosis”, Sharon writes with a determination and tenderness that is remarkable.

Memory loss, confusion, irritability, mood swings and language breakdown are hurdles Sharon and her family have to jump, each one more difficult than the one preceding it.

There is a definite sense of frustration at the lack of understanding and training given to those in the medical professions who deal with Alzheimer’s patients.

Honest, upfront and wonderfully warm, Sharon discovers that losing one mother gives her an opportunity to know the “other” mother she’d hoped for.

Alzheimer’s, it seems, is a disease that peels off lifetimes of affectations and habits, revealing the core person in their pure, natural state. There was little else left of Sharon’s mother but love (one cannot help but wonder if others may find less delightful end results.)

There’s not really a happy ending, but for every Alzheimer’s sufferer treated with kindness instead of ignorance, Sharon will have been successful.

This is the kind of book that makes the reader better off for having read it.