My grandmother turned eighty-seven yesterday. Even though Gran lives in a locked-down nursing home, my mom still found ways to make Gran's birthday special. It's hard for me to be so far away, particularly on special days.
We video-called and sang happy birthday while my mom stood outside the window and held the phone up for my grandmother to see. When we finished, Gran wanted to know who we were. I'm so grateful for the years we've able to be back in Arkansas to celebrate family, especially on their birthdays. Even though my grandmother is slowly succumbing to dementia, we've built some good memories together. And my friend Julie shared some tools to help us understand the way the brain changes as a result of this disease, as well as ways that we can help navigate the slide downhill.
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