Sometimes I whisper, “Forgive me mom. I didn’t know.” My lovely mother died eight years ago, and when she was in a nursing home for six years, I certainly made some careless caregiving mistakes.

For example, when my mom was recovering from pneumonia and was bed-ridden, many grandchildren and relatives visited her. That was wonderful, but I was so happy to see some of these individuals that what was supposed to be a visit with my mother became a social occasion.