The first time I visited her, I wanted to burst into tears. I could not believe that this stooped, drowsy woman smelling of urine was my vivacious mom. Daddy had warned me they’d upped her dose of anti-psychotics to calm her during her transition to the Alzheimer’s ward, and had added anti-anxiety meds, too. Apparently, this is common in these situations. I am sure I would also find it terrifying to be told I had to sleep in a strange place with unfamiliar faces, especially i

We took Simon out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate his impending 50th birthday. We had a laugh-filled evening, despite it being harder and harder to take Mom out to eat. Mom can’t always remember how to use a fork or knife, or eat a sandwich, or she removes parts of the meal from the plate claiming it belongs to someone else. She purses her lips when we try to help and pronounces loudly that she is not a child. We try to placate her as best we can. My dad, Simon and I remin