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[TIMELINE: January 2025] When my younger sister Peggy was first diagnosed with the heinous trifecta of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and the rare logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia, we were all quite stunned. I knew that we needed to make an action plan, but not much else. I had so little information about how to proceed. Now? I … Read more

[TIMELINE: April–September 2024] April 2024 Following my sister’s memorial service, and once we had been back home for a few days, I finally took some time to begin processing everything that had happened over the past five and a half years. Honestly, I had no regrets. I knew that I had always been careful to … Read more

[TIMELINE: March–April 2024] It took just five and a half years for Peggy to reach Stage 7, the official final stage of her early-onset Alzheimer’s. The day she died—and for days afterwards—my thoughts were all of her. I realized that her passing meant I was now entering “Stage 8,” what my fellow caregivers on the … Read more

[TIMELINE: February–March 2024] I spent most of the month of February visiting my sister, because I knew it wasn’t going to be long at that point. Even though she was sleeping a lot more, we tried to make her waking moments as pleasant for her as we could, and there was still plenty of problem-solving … Read more

[TIMELINE: January–February 2024] When I got back home after my mid-January visit, I updated my therapist Katy on what had been happening, and asked her to give me her take on everything. We had a good discussion, although I had nothing good to report. I was almost overwhelmed with navigating hospice—there was so much to … Read more

[TIMELINE: January 2024] Visiting with Peggy was my top priority while I was in town, but I also planned to meet with the hospice team in person. I sat down first with the hospice social worker, Cristina. I really liked her. She advised us to focus on Peggy’s quality of life, and to be with her … Read more

[TIMELINE: December–January 2024] As the new year loomed ahead, I was dealing with a spectrum of conflicting emotions—including dread of the likely bad moments we’d experience in the weeks to come, determination to preserve the highest quality of life for my sister until the end, relief that hospice professionals were now in charge of her … Read more

[TIMELINE: December 2023] Throughout December, Team Peggy began settling into a depressing new normal. The medications that hospice had added to her daily regime created a calmer routine for her, this time with very few disruptive outbursts. So she was screaming a lot less, which was a relief. But Peggy was now so sleepy all … Read more

[TIMELINE: December 2023] By the beginning of December, my overwhelming exhaustion was really catching up to me, although even in that state I could recognize the fantastic care that hospice staff had begun providing Peggy. I finally felt like things were getting under control. By the middle of the month, the change in medications had started … Read more

[TIMELINE: November 2023] Our drive down to San Jose for an extended visit with Peggy was filled with apprehension about the week to come. Would she recognize me? Just how badly was she losing touch with reality? Was she really becoming so disruptive to the other residents that she was about to lose her memory … Read more