Book Review: "Making Rounds with Oscar"
Making Rounds with Oscar seems like another cat book like Snowflake in my Hand and Cleo, but it is a bit different. Oscar's tale is less about him and more about the people he has helped and been there for. This book is about what cats can teach us about life but unlike those other two stories we don't know very much about Oscar's life and antics except for his one special gift.
This book is about a special cat named Oscar who lives in a nursing home that treats patients with dementia. Oscar is not the only cat living in the home in fact the nursing home is home to about six cats. Oscar, however, is different than the other cats living in the home. He seems to know when someone is about to die and he sits a vigil with them while they transition from this life to the next. The nurses and aides notice Oscar's special ability and the head nurse, Mary, brings it to the attention of Dr. Dosa who had patients in the facility. He first dismisses Oscar vigils as a coincidence, but then he begins to investigate and discovers the amazing story of Oscar.
Oscar's story is not so much his own but the stories of how he has helped patients and the loved ones of patients in the nursing home make it through the tough road that is dying from dementia. This book gives us tales of the trials and heartaches of the patients and the families who have to take care of the patients of dementia, and how Oscar was there to ease that pain. Those are the real stories here. I think everyone should read this book so that they would have a better understanding of what happens to patients of dementia and their families. I think people would become more caring and respectful of the disease if they where to know these stories. This is a great story about a great cat and a good doctor. You should really give it a read.
This book is rather short at 225 pages. I read it all the way through in a couple of hours. I cried, a lot, so get some tissue before you start. I didn't like Oscar's book as much as other books, but it was a good and emotional read. It was also an informative read for me about dementia. My grandmother is showing the early signs of it and this book showed me where we are going on that road. It seemed a little disconnected at times, the books didn't flow as well as it would have if a professional writer had written it (it was penned by the Dr. Dosa who actually knows Oscar and the patients he helps). I would have liked to known more about Oscar and about Dr. Dosa both of whom end up being the central characters in our book.
I think this a great read. Get it from the library or borrow it from the cat lover you know. But please read it especially if you know someone who is suffering from dementia. Pass it along to their family; they will be glad you did.