A recent article in The Hunstville Times told of the death of two women who lived together. They were mother and daughter. One was age 63. She was the caregiver for her 89-year-old mother who had Alzheimer's disease. The daughter apparently died from a heart attack in their home - unbeknown to neighbors or friends. Subsequently, her mother starved to death. Like us, you're probably asking, " How could that have happened? Didn't anyone ever check on them?" But think about it. How easily could that happen in your neighborhood? Might we sometimes be confused between what is interfering and what is caring? Either way, interfering or caring could have saved one or perhaps two lives. If the caregiver had had a buddy who called every morning and evening, things may have ended differently. Our mom and a friend had a daily phone system worked out between them. Their agreement and friendship greatly eased our concerns – especially when we were traveling and couldn't always check on her ourselves. ...more

January 25, 2008