A beautifully crafted memoir of a family coping with their mother’s dementia, Song for Rosaleen is both a celebration of Rosaleen Desmond’s life and an unflinching account of the practical and ethical dilemmas that faced her six children. Told with love, insight, humour and compassion by an award-winning writer, it raises important questions about who we become when our memories fail, how our rapidly ageing population can best be cared for, and what this means for us all. While focussing in on one family, it is useful and applicable to us all.