With You in the Moment.
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With You in the Moment
With You in the Moment is a heartfelt memoir about one family’s experience of dementia, told with warmth, honesty, and a belief in the power of presence. Rather than focusing on loss, it offers a hopeful perspective—showing how creativity, humour, and practical care can help preserve dignity and connection.
Through everyday experiences—doctor’s visits, changing routines, unexpected crises, and quiet victories—the family learns to adapt with compassion, focusing on strengths rather than limitations. The result is a deeply human story that embraces the messiness and beauty of living well, even in the face of a difficult diagnosis.
This is not a clinical guide, but a personal reflection on mindset, resilience, and the enduring bonds that hold us together. With You in the Moment offers gentle insight and inspiration for anyone living with dementia or supporting someone they love, reminding us that even in uncertainty, there is room for joy.
Book Review
A heartfelt tribute that prioritizes personal history
Rather than dwell on his mother’s illness, the author frames his approach as viewing her experience through “rose-tinted specs,” focusing deliberately on joy and connection rather than decline. He describes this choice as a conscious one to validate Renee’s reality instead of correcting it—a philosophy of being “with her in the moment” that becomes this book’s guiding principle.
Overall, the book works best as a tribute to a remarkable, much-loved woman, written with genuine tenderness; its emphasis on validation, dignity, and emotional presence is universal.
'Batterbury chronicles his family’s experience with his mother’s dementia with warmth, humor, and devotion.'
It’s a fantastic memoir. So positive in how the family supported their loved one with dementia to live their best life and for those around them to be there with them in the moment. Every emotion was touched, so thought provoking for those supporting a loved one with dementia, a great insight. Highly Recommended.
"With You in the Moment by Marcus Batterbury is a moving memoir that is well written and wonderfully compassionate in how he addresses incorrect assumptions about life with dementia. One incredible moment for me is when the author shares a conversation with a dismissive colleague who implied that someone with dementia doesn't really know who they are or is not missing anything anyway. Issues like this are proven wrong as the author shares intimate episodes, creating a calming recognition for his mother through shared stories, photographs, and even observing nature. Batterbury invites us to rethink what it means to live intentionally, and to respect identity and presence, offering understanding and hope to those who are happy to be with the ones we love in the moment."
"From “nuggets of fun” to the challenging process of valuing and living in the moment, With You in the Moment is recommended not just for those struggling over a dementia diagnosis, but for general readers who would better understand how to get the most out of each day. Librarians seeking ultimately uplifting memoirs that embrace the dementia experience and diagnosis while pointing towards better ways of interacting will find With You in the Moment is just the blueprint for positivity and adjusted values in a situation most commonly defined by loss, grief, and helplessness. Readers won’t expect the sense of empowerment that is transmitted by these lives and touchstones of change – but it’s vivid, and is an important part of what makes With You in the Moment special."
"An honest and heartfelt memoir that was a true pleasure to read. It's a refreshing take on living with dementia and whilst emotional at times, there was a healthy dose of humour. I couldn't put the book down and read it in 2 days! Highly recommend."
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