Kimberly D. Scott

On this episode of Caregivers Stories, I, Kimberly D. Scott, feels blessed to interview Mary Ann Kampfe, author of Dementia Dolls: A Daughter’s Story.  It was 2002 when Mary Ann’s parents moved closer to her home. Her dad who was in his mid 70’s at that had fallen and was diagnosed with macular degeneration. She was thrown into the Sandwich Generation because while she was caring for her two children, she was also her parents’ chauffeur and friend. When her dad passed away in 2013, her mother continued to live on her own in their apartment. Mary Ann thought that everything was doing okay until they visited her and found her iron inside the oven. That was the sign that something was off. For someone who was always in charge of their household, the dementia diagnosis shocked her.  Despite the difficulty and increasing demands, Mary Ann slowly learned to embrace the constant change in the process. She learned to pause, not put too much pressure and value herself while she was taking care of her mother.