Dementia Took My Grandmother’s Dignity

I started to grieve her long before she was gone

The author and her maternal grandmother. Circa 1985.

My maternal grandmother was a constant feature of my youth. So when Alzheimer’s started to strip away parts of her in everyday life, I felt like I had already lost her.

I am one of the younger grandchildren in the family. Though I have memories of my maternal grandfather, he was very unwell…