Hooked through the Finish – One Heroic Caregiver!
Actress, Author, and Caregiver, Kathryn Leigh Scott writes about her years caring for her late husband, Geoff Miller, founding editor of Los Angeles Magazine. He lived with a rare form of dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy.
Initially, the Title Didn’t Draw Me In
Where is the Savoy?
What does this have to do with caregiving?
What is progressive supranuclear palsy?
Last Dance at the Savoy answers all these questions and more.
Author-caregiver, Kathryn presents a compelling account as a dedicated family caregiver. Sure, she and her husband had the means to provide full-time help. Yet, he refused outside help and she drew on her abundant love for him for strength to carry on.
Parkinson’s or a Rare Variant?
Geoff is initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Then doctors consider two rare variants of Parkinson’s, including Cerebral Basal Disorder (CBD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Some even categorize PSP as a form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Headstrong Care Recipient’s Frequent Falls
Geoff, a headstrong man at six-feet tall, keeps wanting to do things. His body doesn’t always cooperate. The difference means he suffers frequent falls when his brain’s commands and his body’s execution don’t match. Kathryn writes about his bruises, blood everywhere and the emergency room visits. I keep wondering, will adult protective services knock on their door? There’s no mention of it, likely because she has neighbors and friends who understood the situation well.
Geoff’s falls cause Kathryn much heartache and stress. Even with this actress-writer-caregiver’s strong Norwegian roots (born in Minnesota), she is wearing down.
Of course, there are those words our loved ones repeat that we never want to hear again. When Kathryn stepped away for even a minute, Geoff got up to do something and fell. His reply to his heartbroken wife: I didn’t want to bother you.
Caregiver and Care Recipient Have Means, But…
Even though Kathryn and her late husband live in (or near) Beverly Hills, have a NY apartment, a cottage in the London-area, Kathryn struggles like most caregivers. Readers struggling to make ends meet might feel a lack of empathy, and they’d be mistaken. Kathryn is still trying to work while caregiving. Whether for a sense of purpose beyond caregiving or to supplement their funds so she can buy her husband assistive devices to better care for him. She’d arrange a guilt-filled hour or two away from Geoff for an audition for her next role, a meeting about her next book, article, or event appearance.
She feels grateful to afford home modifications with Geoff’s changing needs – from grab bars and raised toilet seats to a stairlift, transport chair, and a few hours of home-help a week. Still, her journey of caregiving as told in these pages seems far worse than most when they traveled. She genuinely struggled between her love for her husband and his declining health and her tears of uncertainty and helplessness.
Geoff’s PSP – A Roller Coaster Ride
“If not now, when?” Geoff would ask as they’d plan the next trip. Travel would elevate his mood and reduce his symptoms. Perhaps it’s here where having the means causes the most suffering. The heroic measures Kathryn took to plan then be sure everything went smoothly. Except for Geoff’s shaky moments with the TSA’s security check points, they managed to enjoy their times together in New York, London, and even on a cruise along South America.
While The Caregiver’s Voice received a copy of this book when it was published, I am glad to have looked at it once more. This is truly a heroic story of caregiving. From the Foreword by UCLA neurologist, Yvette Bordelon, MD, PhD, who clearly and compellingly explains PSP, to the end – I was hooked.
For more information visit
Last Dance at the Savoy: Life, Love, and Caring for Someone with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
