“Neither Wife Nor Widow: A collection of personal stories exploring the emotional realities of caregiving for a loved one with dementia” with Dale Ruth Sherburne
Tuesday, May 5
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6:30 pm
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7:30 pm
We welcome Dale Ruth Sherburne on Tuesday, May 5, 6:30 PM for a book talk and discussion featuring her book Neither Wife nor Widow, a collection of personal stories that explore the emotional realities of caregiving for a loved one with dementia. This program takes place in-person in the Picker Room. Coffee, tea, and cookies provided.
Neither Wife nor Widow is a riveting, straight-from-the-trenches reveal about the emotions experienced while caregiving for a family member with dementia. Through dozens of conversational vignettes, the author bares her feelings with raw, unapologetic honesty. Stories range from humorous to touching to wrenching, and shed a previously unseen light into a caregiver’s mind.
The caregiver heart will lighten knowing that “caregiver-land” has no room for judgment or guilt. Loneliness will become kinship with the millions of like-feeling caregivers who stand tall as survivors, proud of work that can bend the soul but never break it. Caregivers are the silent heroes who willingly give your all to your loved ones, give it again and still yet again. You are magnificent! We salute you.
“This is a book you definitely do not want to miss, and to those of us with professional and personal caregiving experiences, each essay speaks volumes while eliciting nods, smiles, tears, frustration, and empowerment.” —Journal of Applied Gerontology book review
Dale Ruth Sherburne is a caregiver advocate, speaker, and author of Neither Wife nor Widow. Drawing from twenty years of caring for her husband with early-onset dementia, her work explores the unspoken emotional realities of long-term caregiving, such as guilt, resentment, and grief. Favorably reviewed in the Journal of Applied Gerontology (February 2026), Sherburne’s book and presentations aim to normalize these difficult emotions. She advocates for greater support and resources for caregivers, emphasizing the need for increased awareness among healthcare professionals to address these critical emotional aspects of care.
