How Do I Remember You?

Abstract

This narrative seeks to engage the reader by creating a verbal portrait of the author's father-in-law, Bob, as he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. The portrait is a collection of caregiving accounts shared by the author and her husband, Todd, who became Bob's primary caregivers. The author presents a counternarrative to overly sentimental and resistant accounts of Alzheimer's Disease while also demonstrating ways self-respect and dignity remain intact despite the deteriorating effects of the illness and the drastic ways Alzheimer's changes family relationships.