H EADLINES
Author Recounts
Harrowing Childhood Tale
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
JEWISH WRITER
and Chicago
resident Ellen
Blum Barish grew up in the
Philadelphia area, living in
Mt. Airy and attending the
Germantown Friends School.

But for most of her life, a
single troubling memory
overshadowed an other-
wise pleasant childhood: a
car accident at the intersec-
tion of McCallum Street and
University writing teacher,
worked on the book for fi ve
years but thought about it for
well over a decade, she said.

Finally, with
Jenny’s permission, she published the
140-page book through Shanti
Arts Publishing.

Th e author described the
memoir on the back cover as:
“A conversation between two
former childhood friends at a
high school reunion evokes a
traumatic memory and sets a
woman on a transformational
journey.” AT ARDEN COURTS WE
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VirtualSeminars@arden-courts.org FREE DEMENTIA VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Conversations with Dr. Tam Cummings
“Seven Springs” author
Ellen Blum Barish
A Monthly Education Series for the Dementia Caregiver
Photo by Suzanne Plunkett
Communication in Dementia
Carpenter Lane. Th e 1972
accident left Barish with a
missing tooth and jaw and
neck pain, Barish’s friend in a
coma and her friend’s mom,
who was driving the car, in a
wheelchair. Aft er that day, Barish’s
parents fi led a lawsuit to pay
for her dental work — pitting
the families’ insurance compa-
nies against each other — so
the girls were never allowed to
talk about what happened to
them, Barish said.

Until now.

Barish, 62, has published
a book, “Seven Springs: A
Memoir,” about the accident
and its impact on her friend-
ship with Jenny, the other girl in
the car. Barish, a Northwestern
The conversation
In 1997, Barish returned to
Philadelphia for her 20th high
school reunion. Barish’s two
best friends from Germantown
were not in attendance, and
her husband and two daugh-
ters were back in Chicago.

Barish was about to leave
when she noticed Jenny, who
she had not seen since gradu-
ation, in the front hall of the
school. Suddenly, the memories
came rushing back.

Their friendship before
the accident, just two giggly
young girls — Jenny was 12
at the time of the accident,
Barish was 13 — jumping on
the couch in Jenny’s basement,
A Person with Dementia (PWD) is suffering from a terminal
brain disease. Understanding how memory works, knowing
the type of dementia your loved one has, and the stage of
the disease, allows caregivers to target conversation to the
memories that continue to function. Using this skill allows
for interactions with old memory and can lead families to
new insights into their loved one’s younger life. Join us as Dr.

Cummings discusses how you can improve communication
with persons living with dementia.

Tam Cummings, Ph.D., Gerontologist
Author, Untangling Alzheimer’s: The
Guide for Families and Professionals
SPONSORED BY:
© 2021 ProMedica
See Author, Page 9
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