Senior Moment: Navigating the Challenges of Caring for Mom

by Monica Graham

Monica Graham got her first inkling that her eighty-nine-year-old mother might not be able to continue living on her own when she coated chicken breasts with dishwashing liquid for dinner. It was an easy mistake—the yellow detergent lived right beside the olive oil on the kitchen counter. Graham could easily have done the same thing herself, she thought.

But as her visit with her mom in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, progressed, Graham—who lives in Pictou, Nova Scotia—began to recognize that her mother had been successfully hiding increasingly apparent signs that her memory was failing; she wasn't getting by as well as she had been letting on. So began the arduous process of finding and securing a safe place for her mother to live—and of clearing out several decades' worth of belongings.

Part memoir, part cautionary tale, part how-to guide, Senior Moment offers insight and practical guidance for Atlantic Canadians on how to usher a loved one into the world of continuing care. With wit, wisdom, and a dose of whimsy, author Monica Graham explores the inevitable hurdles of caring for our elders.

248 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2021

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be read by anyone whose looking after an elderly parent.

[Pascale · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a read!

Although it was a little difficult to get into, after a while it became a very funny AND informative book. And if you have ever had to deal with paperwork on behalf of someone else, you will definitely be able to relate!

The author also included pertinent infos for Atlantic Canada, so if your parents (or yourself) are aging... read that book right now!

[Sarah Butland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, very well written honest account of navigating the difficult task of caring for an elderly parent. It really meant a lot to me as I know the lady in this book but I’ve never met her daughter, the author. I not only gained insight into the challenges but I’ve come to understand the decisions that many of my friends have been and will be forced to make. Having lost my own parents while I was quite young, those decisions are behind me. This book also got my husband and I discussing our own situation and what decisions we want to make on our own so that our children will not be burdened. Awesome job, Monica! I’ll recommend this book to a few of my friends who I know will benefit from your experience!

[Enid Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great little book.

As a woman of a particular vintage - just a few years younger than the author - with parents who are just a few years younger than ‘Mom’... and who are approx ⅓ of the way down the path described in this title… and being the child who bears principle responsibility for them and their affairs…

It was refreshing - affirming - to hear from someone else who has travelled the same journey I am on… and to know that I’m doing all the right things, and benefit from the ‘heads-up’ about potential pitfalls that are yet to come… and strategies for taking pre-cautionary measures to manage the journey we’re all on as easily as possible.

[Gloria Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. The first 2/3 of the book was about dealing with Mom and her stuff - that women was a force to be reckoned with! Lots of eye rolling, shake your head moments - I would of loved to meet her.
The rest of the book is about you and preparing for your Senior moments so your children are not driven mad when the time comes , great advice for us Canadians!

Anyone of any age can learn from this book and have a good laugh at the same time!

[Kelly Greenwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about reading this book less than a year after my mothers' passing, but am glad I did. The family story is entertaining, and the book is full of practical advice and references to resources available now in Atlantic Canada.