My mother called me Jen. When our family faced her Alzheimer’s diagnosis in early 2001 at the age of 71, there was no plan. The crisis was at that very moment. All kinds of loss loomed. Moreover, they do not teach this stuff in school. We figured it out, but it was not always pretty.
I would say my mother lived as successfully as possible with her progressive loss. When she passed away in 2006, I was inspired to leave my longtime business career and seek a new role providing legal protection and advocacy for elders and their families.