Tracy Gough - from nurse to author

Tracy Gough is a Registered Nurse and best-selling author having written My Dementia Journey...one step at a time and Gone But Not Forgotten. Coping With Bereavement After Dementia. 

 

For more than 30 years, she has given invaluable professional support to thousands of dementia patients and caregivers, as well as having a personal understanding from within her own family. Tracy's vision is to be a ‘global guide’ for caregivers feeling alone when faced with this life-changing illness.

 

My Inspiration and how I want to help others

 

I’ve been very blessed to have a long nursing career supporting people with dementia and their families. Recognising my passion for this type of work, encouraged me to build a business where I could help others on a larger scale. 

 

Before setting up my business, I enrolled on a life coaching course. I was amazed how life coaching had positively changed my own life. It had help me to clear my own ‘obstacles’ and limiting beliefs. Having seen the benefits for myself, I decided to combine my nursing experience with my life coaching skills to create a business, supporting dementia caregivers called Make Way For Tomorrow. My business mission was to provide specialised 1:1 support both during and after a dementia illness.

 

I have unfortunately, not only had professional experience with dementia, but also been affected personally with the illness in my own family too. The most ‘emotionally challenging’ experience has been with my mum who has both Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Having this personal insight has given me an even greater reason to help others, as I have clearly seen the impact that this debilitating illness has had on my own family.

Since launching my business, I had a goal to write a self-help book and off-loading tool in the form of a factual journal. I wanted to create a book that could be ‘a supporting guide’ and personal account of the readers own dementia journey. 

 

Two years ago, I wrote and published this book which became an Amazon Best Seller called My Dementia Journey...one step at a time. I now use this book myself to write about the dementia journey I am experiencing with my own mum.

 

Last year, I wrote my second book called Gone But Not Forgotten. Coping With Bereavement After Dementia. It was important for me to raise awareness of the challenges faced with a dementia bereavement through this book because, I regularly work with families who are battling to come to terms with the grief they are experiencing, following the death of a loved one.

 

Specialised bereavement support in this area is definitely needed. I often witnessed caregivers going through a ‘double bereavement.’ A grieving process can initially start during the illness and a second follows after death. Many families are often left struggling to come to terms with this ‘complex' form of grieving. Even though a loved one's illness has ended, caregivers may still reflect back on painful past events. No one can put a time scale on when things will start to feel better, as it is not unusual to experience good and bad days. 

 

I try and encourage caregivers to keep their loved one’s memory alive by remembering the good times with a smile. While inspiring courage, strength and determination in taking small steps forward to finding, inner peace.

 

My Dementia Journey...one step at a time

 

This was my first book, written for caregivers looking after their loved one with dementia.  A sense of ‘loss’ can be experienced even in the early stages of the illness. As dementia progresses caregivers often feel that the person they once knew has been ‘taken away’ from them. This may trigger a grieving process, as well as a rollercoaster of emotions. 

 

My Dementia Journey...one step at a time contains information, tips and advice. There is space for caregivers to write their own reflective thoughts regarding their dementia journey and the impact it is having on them and their loved one. It can be used as a learning resource, personal written account or used as an ‘off-loading’ tool.

 

 

Gone But Not Forgotten. Coping With Bereavement After Dementia

 

Gone But Not Forgotten was published in November 2020. I was passionate about writing this book because I wanted to provide support and guidance for those going through a bereavement following a dementia illness.

 

This type of bereavement is often ‘ongoing' from the initial diagnosis of dementia. Caregivers can often feel that they lose the person twice, once to the illness and then again through death. 

 

My mission was to ‘give a helping hand' to caregivers during their grieving journey. It is not unusual during this time to feel a mixture of emotions and my ‘key' message in the book is to acknowledge that any thoughts and feelings experienced are completely normal.

 

Gone But Not Forgotten is split up into five sections. The first section discusses the stages of dementia leading up to a loved one’s death and the impact this has on the caregiver. The next two sections explore the different stages of grief and some of the emotions experienced during a dementia bereavement. The last two sections look at how important it is to reflect on the good times, surrounding yourself with comforting things and focusing on finding an inner strength to move forward with life.

 

There is space throughout to write reflective thoughts. Entwined within the book are meaningful quotes and thought-provoking verses.

 

Tracy Gough

 

Website: www.makewayfortomorrow.com

Email: tracy@makewayfortomorrow.com

Facebook: Supporting Dementia Caregivers 

                   Bereavement Support After Dementia 

Twitter: @TracyEGough

LinkedIn: Tracy Gough 

 

 

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