New technologies and medicines are years away; music is here and now.

It is amazing how small our worlds can shrink when we are ill—physically, emotionally, even intellectually.

I was having a lovely time laughing and singing with Mom today. Most of what we talked about was nonsense, but she was in a relatively...

The funny thing about talking to someone with Alzheimer’s is that you never know where the conversation will end up. My husband Jeff and...

It has been one year since my mom was moved to her Alzheimer’s care facility, one year of searing emotional upheavals and adjusting to a...

When my dad is away, as he is this week, I try to visit my mom each day, even if only for a short while, so that I can verify with my own...

Sometimes there are large billboards on the side of the road that seem to scream out at you as you drive by. I felt I was passing one...

There are some days when I feel my mom so intensely, it is uncanny. Today was such a day. I woke up in a bad mood, as if the wind and...

Mom was so delighted to see my dad today. It was as if her grey existence suddenly became bright, as if she knew she was missing...

What a melancholy experience to go through Mom’s closet choosing winter clothes for her. The season has turned, and now Mom needs sweat...

“It’s my daughter, Miriam,” she said as I entered the ward. “Where were you?” How grateful I felt to be identified by Mom. I sat down in...

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

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

I was proud of myself today for bringing Mom home from the mall with absolutely no displays of anger. It was an intense effort to be with...

What an adventure we had today! Mom and I took a walk down town and ended up in a curio shop that we’d passed before but never entered. I...

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 am learning that it is often best not to delay or challenge Mom’s instincts when she’s in a bad mood. The sticky, humid heat is getting...

Mom’s sister, my Auntie Barbara, is visiting from London. It is great to see her. She is a wild, funny, woman with strong opinions and a...

Two weeks since I last wrote and my mom is still ill. She has a urinary tract infection that won't go away. She's been on three types of...

Sometimes—like now—I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking care of my Mom. What if, when she’s with me, she can’t be reasoned...