Media darling and director of Memory and Healthy Aging at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Zaldy Tan’s What to Remember When You Are Forgetting shares the definitive guide to thriving with dementia for the recently diagnosed and their caregivers.
What if a dementia diagnosis could be an invitation to live? What if the first phase of the disease could be a catalyst to embrace a long-forgotten dream? Or to finally resolve a festering family conflict? Or to make new friends and create new, cherished memories?
Renowned memory and Alzheimer’s disease specialist, researcher, educator, and author Dr. Zaldy Tan, the Harvard-trained director of the Cedars-Sinai Memory and Healthy Aging Program, shares the definitive guide to thriving with dementia.
On these pages, you’ll meet patients like Angela, who had worked as a singer in a Hollywood lounge before her children were born and dreamed of stardom. Instead, Angela put her dreams aside to raise her family. But after her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, instead of shutting down or continuing to prioritize others over herself, Angela embraced her career anew and traveled the country performing with a local singing group. You’ll also meet Marcel, who considered Alzheimer’s as a wake-up call to recalibrate his life priorities, and Mary-Louise, who didn’t have family nearby to rely on but found an advocate in a new friend she met in a writing group.
With an incredibly thorough and deeply comforting approach, Dr. Tan tackles everything from how to have a conversation with a person experiencing early memory loss, to how to prepare for an initial assessment for Alzheimer’s, and what accommodations and interventions are needed for every stage and type of dementia. He delves into the surprisingly hopeful research on new treatment and caregiving resources everyone should know, and reveals how other families and remarkable individuals he’s treated over the years have handled both difficult challenges and incredible triumphs after diagnosis.
“I’ve lived this journey—watching memory loss touch the people I love—and I know how desperately families search for answers and hope. In What to Remember When You Are Forgetting, Dr. Zaldy Tanbrings both. It’s thoughtful, deeply informed, and filled with the kind of humanity that makes you feel less alone.”
“This is the kind of book I wish every patient and caregiver had at the time of diagnosis. Drawing on extensive clinical experience, Dr. Tan provides clear, compassionate, and deeply practical guidance for navigating memory loss and dementia. In my work as a researcher studying how to support families living with dementia, I see how essential it is to have information that is not only accurate, but truly usable in daily life—and this book delivers exactly that. It will be an invaluable companion for patients and caregivers alike.”
“We’ve been big fans of Dr. Zaldy Tan for years, and we’re grateful that What to Remember When You Are Forgetting brings his wisdom, compassion, and humanity to so many more families navigating cognitive decline. Through every stage of the disease, this book combines clear medical guidance with deeply human insight. At the heart of this book is something we deeply believe at Hilarity for Charity: even in the face of memory loss, there is still so much life left to live. What to Remember When You Are Forgetting is a reminder that while this journey may be difficult, no one has to face it alone.”
“Dr. Zaldy Tan challenges the stigma and shame that can so easily accompany a dementia diagnosis and instead invites us to see the person still very much living within it. Through both practical guidance and heartfelt storytelling, Dr. Tan reminds us that a diagnosis does not mean the end of joy, dignity, or a meaningful life.”
