Nine Ways to Crazy
Surviving My Mom’s Dementia
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MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2011: The Sandwich Generation
When my mom moved to New York seven years ago I thought it would be easier to maintain her health and well being because she was close by. What I didn’t figure on was who was going to help maintain mine? Why is it so difficult for a child to take care of an aged parent when a parent can take care of a house full of children? In the past the role of a woman was to take care of her family, raise her children, maintain her house and love her man. Today, a woman has to work a full time job in the rat race of jobs, raise children in our ever declining educational system and mangled economy, maintain a household on a dream and a pray, and somehow find time to keep the marriage alive. Wait…that’not all. Let us not forget the elderly parent who unless they lived in Medicare housing, would not be able to live on their own. Hence, my story begins.
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About the Book
Deborah J. Taranto thought when her mother joined her in New York, she’d finally be able to help her maintain her health.
What she hadn’t considered was how she’d maintain her own health: Her mother’s deteriorating mind and constant demands made it almost impossible to get anything done.
In this memoir, which includes numerous journal entries, she relives the guilt of struggling to take care of an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s who managed to raise a house full of children without complaints.
From the classic behavior symptoms of dementia to her mother’s hilarious outbursts, she faces her mother’s mortality—as well as her own—head on, weaving symptoms into vignettes that highlight everyday challenges.
Her account reveals the daily struggle of what it’s like to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and how the experience can affect family members long after a loved one has died.
If you’re a caregiver or family member struggling to help someone navigate their final years with dignity, you’ll be inspired by the humorous and poignant tales in Nine Ways to Crazy.
About the Author
Deborah J. Taranto is a native New Yorker. She earned a Master of Science degree from Wagner College, joined St. John’s University faculty in 2002 as an assistant adjunct professor teaching English literature, and teaches English literature at a private high school on Staten Island. She is also the author of a work of fantasy fiction: The Land of Crystals.