My name is Liz. Over the last year, my siblings and I have noticed many "changes" with my mom. At first we excused it as just the natural aging process but over the last 6 months she has been deteriorating. Her memory is poor, she appears lost at times, accuses us of taking items or loses items daily. She is quite moody, sometimes depressed, and frustrated.

My father passed away in 1996 of Mesothilioma cancer... since then, mom (who is now 78) has lived alone in a house on13 acres in rural Fraser Valley with her beloved (sadly aging dog). I live on the property in a separate house. My mom does not drive, so I am mainly her caregiver when it comes to any appointments, groceries, banking, etc, and now paying bills as she does not know how to do that anymore. She has 3 other daughters, and a son...all of which have families of their owns to take care of. I am separated, with no kids, so the unwritten contract is that I take care of mom because I live on the property and dont have a family. I love taking care of my mom, I feel like she took care of me growing up, so now its my turn to take care of her....as painful as it is to watch her struggle almost daily. I am hoping this site will help me understand this disease and maybe help prepare me for difficult times ahead. My two worst days will be the day she doesnt know who I am anymore, and the day we may possibly have to put her in a home....I can not imagine that day. I found out about this site from the radio show today on cknw...I will be sure to see the showing of the film next week when it is in my area.