Releasing the Butterfly - Caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Max Sherman, author of Releasing the Butterfly: A Love Affair in Four Acts. The book shares many insights about caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s while telling the story of Max and his wife Gene Alice (Genie) who met as teenagers in the 1950s while volunteering at a jail in the Texas Panhandle. Max tells the story of how he and Genie created a partnership that enabled Max to become a lawyer, state senator and university president while Genie earned her doctorate to become a professor of music. The story continues as he tells how their shared love of literature, theater, film, and music became a critical connection after Genie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.In the episode, Max shares many of the insights he has gained as a caregiver, and thoughts on how to maintain connection even while grieving the losses of the fading abilities of a spouse living with Alzheimer’s.Max wanted to be certain to share that, in honor of Genie, all proceeds from the book go to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's program in sacred music.