To Pap, With Love

In 1991, when my father was 81, the nature of our relationship changed in ways I wasn't prepared for. His doctor diagnosed an advanced case of arteriosclerosis. (We wondered if it was Alzheimer's disease.) Over four years, my father progressively lost his memory. Our roles reversed as daughter became parent, parent became child.

My father lived with my husband and I, our adult son and teenage daughter until one month before he died. During this time, minor health problems become harder to t...