Author Archives: daughter3

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About daughter3

My mom has Alzheimer's disease. She's 91 and lives in a nursing home. She has three daughters. I'm her youngest.

A Child

Posted on January 28, 2015 by daughter3

When I arrive for my weekly visit at the Hebrew Home, I can almost sneak up on my mom in the dining room because her gaze is transfixed on a baby. She is leaning over to caress the child, who is … Continue reading →

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“What’s My Name?”

Posted on January 5, 2015 by daughter3

“This is my daughter,” my mom says to everyone we meet, as we walk the halls of the Hebrew Home. “Why am I so short and she’s so tall? She should be the mother,” she says, pointing to me, and … Continue reading →

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Sofia

Posted on November 13, 2014 by daughter3

“Your mommy… she no belong here,” says Sofia,* an independent aide who cares for a couple of people on my mom’s unit at the Hebrew Home. She wants me to move my mom to another unit for people in earlier … Continue reading →

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Winning and Losing

Posted on September 15, 2014 by daughter3

My mom and I had a good summer. I spent the long days after work meeting friends for dinner, visiting museums, going to outdoor concerts. My mom gradually, but increasingly, shed the worries that had burdened her all of her … Continue reading →

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Conversing with Dementia: A Play in One Scene

Posted on June 30, 2014 by daughter3

Setting: A large dining room on a dementia unit. Spotlight is on a table against the wall with three chairs, occupied by Ken, an octogenarian man wearing a hat, Mariann, an octogenarian woman, and Beth, a middle-aged woman. Mariann: (Looks … Continue reading →

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The First Time

Posted on June 11, 2014 by daughter3

“You’ve never been here before!” my mom exclaims as we head down the hallway of the dementia unit where she lives. She’s talking like she’s excited to show me the place for the first time (or more likely, thrilled to … Continue reading →

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Mother’s Day

Posted on May 14, 2014 by daughter3

When I arrived at the Hebrew Home for a visit on Mother’s Day, my mom was sitting alone at her table, hunched over and staring downward, like she was reading a book perched in her lap. She looked up as … Continue reading →

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The Bottom Line

Posted on May 6, 2014 by daughter3

My mom and Kenneth are already at the dinner table when I arrive for a visit at 4 PM on a Saturday. They’re not saying much, just waiting for their food, which will be served at 5 if they’re lucky, … Continue reading →

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My Birthday

Posted on April 2, 2014 by daughter3

On my birthday, I went to the Hebrew Home so I could see my mom on my “special day.” Of course, she didn’t know it was my birthday. Even after I told her. “It’s my birthday!” I said, after settling … Continue reading →

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Men

Posted on March 24, 2014 by daughter3

“Yuck … men!” said my mom more times than I can count, from my teenage years until about three years ago. My mom wasn’t happy with my dad, who was her husband for over 35 years. When they divorced more … Continue reading →

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