Every Day a New Adventure

Joan Kelley

Mama sold her 10-year-old car for $30,000 to a man who was going to drive it to California and sell it for $1,000,000—which he would split with her. That was her story, and she was sticking to it. While she waited on her windfall, she went on a spending spree that left dents and scratches in her credit cards and furrows on my brow. Mama, as it turned out, was tangled up in the web of Alzheimer’s disease, and no amount of reason could reach her. Four million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Seven out of 10 are cared for at home, meaning at least three million family members are suffering right along with them. By the end of this century, 14 million are predicted to suffer from the disease, with a proportionate increase in caregivers. This book is a candid look into the everyday life of caring for someone who seems to be literally going through life backwards,...