For Mornington Peninsula author Alison Deacon, caring for her mother through dementia was a five-year journey marked by exhaustion, uncertainty and grief. But alongside the difficult moments came something she had not expected: patience, humour, compassion, connection and a deeper understanding of love.
Those experiences became the inspiration for Alison’s new memoir, The Heart’s Inheritance: Gifts to the Carer, released on August 11 exactly two years after her mother’s death.
Alison cared for her mother alongside her sister, Nadine, as dementia gradually changed their family and the roles within it. Rather than focusing solely on what was lost, her book reflects on what emerged along the way. Each chapter explores one of the unexpected gifts Alison discovered through caring, including presence, patience, humour, friendship, compassion, acceptance, and ultimately letting go.
It was only after her mother died that Alison fully understood how deeply the experience had shaped her. Caring had become part of her identity and, when that role suddenly disappeared, she found herself grieving not only her mum but also the sense of purpose that had defined so much of her life. Writing became part of that grieving process and a way to preserve the memories while they were still fresh.
The result is not a clinical guide to dementia or caregiving. Instead, The Heart’s Inheritance is Alison’s personal account of living through the everyday realities of caring and recognising the moments of meaning that can exist alongside hardship.
Today, Alison is a meditation teacher, Root Cause Therapy practitioner and corporate wellbeing and emotional resilience specialist based on the Peninsula. Through her writing and work, she continues to explore resilience, healing and the value of approaching difficult periods of life with compassion.
Above all, Alison hopes the book reaches carers who may themselves feel exhausted, isolated or unseen, reminding them that asking for help is a strength and that they do not have to navigate the experience alone.
The Heart’s Inheritance: Gifts to the Carer is available in paperback and Kindle. To learn more about Alison, her work or the book, visit www.alisondeacon.com
