Eight months of taking my mom to synagogue with me each Shabbat ended as abruptly as it started. It was this thought that struck me so...

What a hoot! I spent a glorious day with my dad and brother Simon in Netanya. They had been staying there for a few days’ vacation when I...

Finding happiness in the little things is something that I work at. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally when it relates to Mom. It is...

My brother Simon is arriving this Friday for a two-week visit! I am so excited to see him, and also a little trepidatious—he has not seen...

How does the little bird in P.D. Eastman’s classic book, Are You My Mother? know who his mother is? The bird intuits that only his mother...

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato Music truly animates...

“We are all capable of dancing,” Mom says as we swing round the room. She’s talking to the other residents who are mostly sitting in...

The nature of our relationship has changed. I am not always able to connect with Mom like I used to. Even when we find a quiet corner to...

This is what I tell myself: Don’t get upset, it’s not worth it. This is just Mom’s way. If you are frustrated, don’t let her know it. If...

Like all of us, Mom has good days and bad days. There are times I’ve visited her where she can barely keep her eyes open. Other times,...

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...

It happened as I knew it would. The second day into my two-week trip abroad, Mom was moved into a closed Alzheimer’s ward. Despite being...

Our lives have been topsy-turvy this past week. We had initial confirmation on Sunday that Mom could be moved into a closed Alzheimer’s...

Mom has a new friend—a stuffed kitten named Fred. She sits with him, strokes him, and sings to him. It is strange to watch her interact...

If you’ve spent any time with someone suffering from Alzheimer’s, you know they talk in strange, often disconnected language. They...

With the very first note, Mom was standing by the piano. As “Somewhere” from West Side Story took shape and became familiar, Mom started...

At what point does the life of a caregiver become the focus in a relationship with a patient? What are the caregiver’s obligations to her...

I tried to sit in silence, but it was painful to listen to Mom attempting to answer the doctor’s questions. Mom knew she was having...

Passover is a little more than two weeks away, and I am overwhelmingly sad about Mom’s inability to participate in the Seder. I’m...

Ever since my dad found a chunk of Mom’s tooth on her pillow one morning, we’ve been trying to figure out how to get Mom dental care. She...