Being Patient Interview

Thank you to Deborah Kan and her team from Being Patient for setting up the live talk for Peter and me. Despite the late hour in the UK (it was 6pm here whilst only 10am in California) Peter was his usual inspiring and witty self. Deborah's questions were pitched at exactly the right level to elicit the information from Peter about his dementia journey, from the start to where he is now. Peter is unfailingly honest when we take part in these events but always manages to keep his tone light. This is not because he is being dismissive of his condition and its progress but rather because it reflects his whole attitude in how he tackles it and he is convinced humour is just one tool at his disposal to help him to live well.

One of the topics discussed was the power and importance of social connection; this is something about which Peter feels very strongly. We had been discussing this theme recently and Peter had said: "a lion on its own can survive in the wild but a lion within a pride of lions will thrive." The same is so for Peter; indeed, I have seen how he lights up when talking to people, even if he doesn't know who they are and forgets about the conversation moments later. It's a tangible example of how he lives in the moment and the importance of that moment for him and, I suspect, many others who live with dementia. When I reflect on it, I realise many of us are not that different from Peter but perhaps the main difference is we remember intellectually how we felt whereas Peter remembers emotionally.

The whole interview will be posted soon but, in the meantime, here's a tantalising trailer:

Being Patient Deborah Kan interviewing Peter and Deb - trailer

Thanks, Deborah, too for giving me a platform to discuss not only "Slow Puncture" but our new book, "Patching the Puncture (released by The Book Guild on 28 February 2026). Every talk or event I am lucky enough to do with Peter is a privilege for me and I generally learn something new but I also appreciate how fortunate I am to be given the opportunity to publicise our books.