My mom was raising me and caring for her mom with Alzheimer's. Our neighbors became our village.
I grew up in a Michigan co-housing community while my family cared for my grandmother with Alzheimer's. Our neighbors became family.
My mother moved my brother and me from Brooklyn to Michigan when my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She lived in a co-housing community called Great Oak, which fostered a strong sense of family, care, and support. From a young age, I was involved in caring for my grandma, while my mother navigated the challenges of single parenthood.
Our co-housing community became an extended family, providing a supportive environment for all residents. The author fondly remembers a time when they and grandma would rush around the grocery store, knocking boxes of cookies off the shelves and laughing together. In a community event, when grandma began to sing along during a piano performance, the neighbors joined in, turning a potentially awkward moment into one of joyful unity.
My grandmother was never treated as an outsider, but as a cherished member of the community. Despite the difficulties of raising a child and caring for a parent with Alzheimer's, my mother's strength and resilience left a lasting impact on me. This experience taught me invaluable lessons in patience, unconditional love, sacrifice, and the true meaning of family.
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