Lorna Drew thought her partner was carrying his absent-minded professor status too far, until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease.

A thoughtful memoir and a wide-ranging handbook, Different Minds is an illuminating side-by-side account of life with Alzheimer Disease. Prepared with the assistance of the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick, it offers practical advice on everything from reorganizing finances to dealing with emotions.

In intimate journal entries, Lorna expresses how hard she finds being both partner and caregiver, while Leo shares knowledge gathered from experience and extensive reading. His vivid descriptions of how a person fighting Alzheimer Disease interprets his strange new world are invaluable to people newly diagnosed with this disease and to their loved ones and caregivers.

Featuring a detailed bibliography, a list of useful Web sites and helpful suggestions like making checklists, how to stay active or where to look for support, Different Minds is a unique guide to coping with mutual distress while enjoying life together.

Lorna Drew graduated with Honours in English in 1982 and, after earning her PhD at UNB, taught part-time in the English Department at St. Thomas University for several years. Her publications include poetry, short stories, scholarly articles, and reviews. In 1987, she founded the Fredericton Raging Grannies. With her husband, Leo Ferrari, she wrote Different Minds: Living with Alzheimer Disease (Goose Lane, 2005). Currently she is a photocollage artist with a studio in the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton.

Lorna Drew's profile page

Leo C. Ferrari taught in the Philosophy Department of St. Thomas University from 1961 (in Chatham) to 1995. He wrote poetry, published extensively on human rights, and was an authority on St. Augustine of Hippo. With UNB colleagues in Computer Science and Classics, he published a two-volume concordance to Augustine's "Confessions" (Olms-Weidmann, 1991(. With his wife, Lorna Drew, he published Different Minds: Living with Alzheimer Disease (Goose Lane, 2005). He was co-founder and long-serving president of the Flat Earth Society; in 1995, he donated archival materials concerning the Society to the Harriet Irving Library.

Leo Ferrari's profile page

"Their voices — that of caretaker and caretaken — mingle tenderly even as they offer a number of practical tips for coping with the day-to-day realities and emotional upheavals of the disease."

<i>Atlantic Books Today</i>

"Their writing is candid, honest and infused with Ferrari's humour and Drew's sober optimism."

<i>Edmonton Sun</i>