Alzheimer's & Dementia Caregiving: Locked Out of Caregiving

Sue Funke is the youngest of several children and the one who lived closest to her mother during her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. Sue was the first to notice Irene’s initial decline and found it difficult to convince her siblings about the significance of the signs that she saw. When they came to understand her mother's illness, the improv ethos of 'yes, and' came in handy. Despite their united front, their mother's husband found it harder to accept the seriousness of the disease, and Sue and her siblings faced not only the challenge of their mother's disease, but also the obstacle of a health care proxy held by someone else.