So much of our body is “hidden” from the world, whether it be our private areas covered in clothes, our toes snuggly fit in our shoes, or...

I was thankful to arrive home safe and sound after my two-week trip to China. Mom didn’t realize I’d been away. I’d been keeping track of...

Each time I walk Mom home from synagogue and see her safely to her door, I am tinged with sadness. I know I’m doing the right thing by...

There is no escaping the similarities between us. Mom and I look alike. We dress alike. (We both wore blue dresses on Rosh Hashanah, and...

In the middle of my short vacation with my family I suddenly remembered that I’d been writing a letter for my dad in Hebrew to explain...

I am constantly surprised by what a foul mouth Mom has developed. This sweet-natured woman who taught me to watch my manners and never...

“It’s your birthday today,” I told Mom. “It’s my birthday?” she asked innocently. “We’ll have to have a party.” We’d already come back...

We tried unsuccessfully to take Mom’s rings off today. In addition to her wedding and engagement ring, Mom wears four other rings, each...

I grew up singing John Prines’ song “Dear Abby,” a humorous look at the kinds of people who write to advice columnists. Be satisfied with...

Why don’t any of the Alzheimer’s books or websites prepare you for the rage? Or your helplessness and guilt when you can’t defuse it?...

I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into an Alzheimer’s version of Naomi in Wonderland. My dad flew to Miami two days ago, and I...

Many of my friends are taking on the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents. We all go through the same process of realizing...

“These stairs are getting slower and slower,” Mom comments as we walk down the three flights to the street. I laugh at her expressive way...

Those of us with relatively good health take feeling well for granted. When we get sick, no matter how minor the illness, all that...

I blame myself. I blame my cell phone. These phones suck us in and divert our attention. That's why I missed Mom when she came out of the...

“To forget your birthday is…tragic,” Mom declared in a moment of clarity. We watched her bounce between unbridled joy, disbelief and even...

We seem to have turned a corner. Mom has finished her course of antibiotics, and is doing much better. She was more her positive self and...

“See you next year,” Mom would say as she tucked us in on December 31. Implied was the promise of something new, an optimism about the...

“I don’t know if I’m lost or not,” Mom said as walked in the city. We were holding hands, the sun gracing us with warmth, the sheltering...

Here’s the hard part about visiting my parents once a week: my children have needs, too. I am a typical member of the sandwich...