When a young woman (Molly’s friend/partner) visits her girlfriend’s aging father, she discovers that his dementia has erased Molly entirely—and now sees her as his late wife.
Molly Jane describes this as “the shame spiral.” She says, “I started dreading my visits. I love my dad. But I started having panic attacks in the parking lot before walking into his assisted living facility.” molly jane dad thinks i am mom
: It examines the emotional toll of being misidentified by a parent and the grief associated with losing the "father figure" while he is still physically present. Grief and Caregiving When a young woman (Molly’s friend/partner) visits her
Linda’s father has early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her mother, Rose, is his primary caregiver. But Linda visits every day to help with meals. “One afternoon, Dad looked at my mom and said, ‘Who is that woman?’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘Rose, why is that stranger in our kitchen?’ My mom just left the room. She didn’t come out for two hours. I made Dad lunch, pretending to be her. Later, my mom whispered, ‘He married me 53 years ago. Now he thinks you’re me.’ We held hands and both sobbed.” But I started having panic attacks in the