companionship

Doris was an independent, take-charge individual, who prided herself on her self-sufficiency. A tireless worker, she was regarded in her community and at church as a resourceful person who got things done. Still, life had dealt her a tough hand, having lost her only daughter to breast cancer and then her husband to lung cancer. Then came her own diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the diagnosis, Doris slowly pulled back. Though she enjoyed it, she stopped volunteering at the library. Church attendance became more erratic. Doris’s niece and her husband, the only family living nearby, took on increasing caregiving responsibilities for [...]