We discovered Richard had been leaving early to visit his 86-year-old mother in a memory-care facility. She had dementia, became frightened at night, and often forgot who he was. Richard had kept her condition private because a previous relationship ended when his partner couldn’t accept the responsibility.
When Mom confronted him, Richard apologized for not trusting her. Mom simply took his hand and said, “You don’t have to choose between caring for your mother and loving me.”
After that, Sunday dinners changed. Richard sometimes brought Evelyn, and our family helped make her comfortable.
