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When Claire Verney agreed to 'for better or for worse, in sickness and in health' she never imagined the journey that lay ahead of her. Her husband Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at the age of forty-six. Notes of a Love Song chronicles their lives as Claire becomes her husband's full-time caregiver and medical advocate as he struggles with the ravages of end-stage Parkinson's. It spans the final four years of Michael's life at home where he lived and died with dignity through the constant care and love of his wife. The author weaves her way through the history of her husband's disease while reflecting on her own history, her family and how all are deeply affected by this mercilessly degenerative disease. Told with warmth and humour, Notes of a Love Song offers a rare and timely glimpse into the realities of long-term care of parents and spouses, either in institutions or at home. It is written as a love story, a tribute, but is equally a how-to manual, imparting valuable medical information about Parkinson's Disease, dementia, palliative care and the importance of patient advocacy.
About the author
Claire Verney lives in her log home in Chelsea, Quebec. It is the house where she and Michael Torontow moved in 1989, just five years before his diagnosis and where he died peacefully in 2013. It is the house where their four children were raised and homeschooled. She now shares it with Rick Hughes whom she married in 2014. It is a house with much history, sorrow and joy. Claire now hikes, swims and snowshoes - sometimes with her two old and slightly demented dogs - enjoying a peaceful retirement and a loving family and community.
