The Dementia Whisperer
Scenes from the Frontline of Caring

By Agnes B. Juhasz

Published by Hammersmith Health Books

Agnes B. Juhasz, writing with great humanity and understanding, draws on many years of looking after people with dementia to show how she has learned to communicate and work collaboratively with them and find the essence of the person hiding behind the symptoms of the condition.

Based around real-life stories, she describes the many strategies she uses daily with her patients (as well as the various approaches she has found to fail).

The challenge

Clearly a topic of great interest to a wide range of people. However, the author was unknown and her position wasn’t especially eminent: she is a nurse specialising in the field. The media are usually interested in important personalities, high-sounding professional titles and celebrities…

The solution

Even if Agnes Juhasz isn’t a known authority in the field, she has a remarkable experience of many years looking daily after people with dementia. The book therefore fills an important gap as it offers some practical advice to carers and relatives who often struggle to understand this complex condition. This was the message I got across to journalists.

The result

The book was covered extensively in the feature pages of the Daily Mail (ABC circ. 1,425,671) and in the Daily Mirror online (92,801,005 Monthly Unique Viewers). It was also featured in the lifestyle media read by the over 50’s such as Yours (ABC circ. 257,349), Take a Break (ABC circ. 562,412), and Saga digital (350K MUVs). Moreover, it was widely reviewed in the medical/nursing press; in distinguished publications such as The Lancet Neurology and in Nursing Times (ABC controlled circ. 11,479), British Journal of Nursing (ABC controlled circ. 1,663), and Pulse (circ. 35,422). Leading charity Age UK agreed to help by tweeting about the book.