
In Memory of Carolyn L. Farrell: April 17, 1937 - January 18, 2015
On January 18, 2015, at 77 years old, my Mom died peacefully at home from Lewy Body Dementia. My Mom was a beautiful person, inside and out. She was our Snow White. Snow White was her favorite Disney princess who was also “born” the same year as Mom- 1937. Mom was smart and sassy, with a great sense of humor that not everyone saw. She could be totally spiritual and totally irreverent at the same time. She loved her family fiercely and always strove to make home a beautiful pl

In The End, What Matters Most, Was In The Middle
[Image: Thanksgiving 2014. Rev. Katie's Mom sitting in a wheelchair by her grandson while watching television together.] Yesterday I wrote a post about how to decide if you will go home to be with your dying parent/loved one. I talked about how that post was written to focus mainly on the last few days or weeks of a person’s life and that overall if the relationship to your loved one is important to you, you will want to visit them often before it even gets to be their last d

Should I Go Home to Be With My Dying Parent/ Loved One With Dementia?
My dad told me a few days ago that my mom has gotten much worse and is not taking any food and very little water. She has become mostly non-responsive, but is not in a coma. It looks like she might be actively dying, but we have no idea if she has days or weeks left. I then had to decide if I wanted to and could go home to be with her. I want to be clear that this is just a thought process around the very end of life. If we want a relationship with our loved one, then truly t