{"product_id":"mother-lode-confessions-of-a-reluctant-caregiver-9781647422837","title":"Mother Lode: Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver","description":"\u003cb\u003e\". . . makes you feel as though a kindred soul is speaking to you.\" --\u003ci\u003eReaders' Favorite\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the age of sixty, Gretchen Staebler promises to spend one year in her childhood home caring for her stubbornly independent ninety-six-year-old mother--sort of a middle-aged gap year. Then her mother will move to assisted living and she will return to her own independent life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt doesn't go as planned. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRather than a retrospective, this mother-daughter story unfolds in real time with gripping honesty, bringing the reader along with the narrator through the struggle, doubts, and complexities of caregiving and daughterhood--and the beacons of light. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePenetrating the fog of her mother's advancing dementia and myriad health issues with humor, frustration, and compassion--and wine--Staebler slowly comes to accept and respect the mother she got, if not the one she wished for. In the process, she manifests non-negotiable self-care and learns more than she wants to know about aging, cognitive loss, and the healthcare system. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAny reader who is looking for a road map in caring for a family member, has ever had a mother, or is looking aging in the eye will find company on the journey in this candid, multi-award-winning memoir. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"She Writes Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50635377770770,"sku":"9781647422837","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a88d8c6f-8899-41b6-a308-f3e19186390b.jpg?v=1732842029","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/mother-lode-confessions-of-a-reluctant-caregiver-9781647422837","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}