Today I recall being in Philadelphia at the start of the year while my mother was fading away and how harrowing it was. At the start I hoped so much that she’d make it but as she continued deteriorating I wondered what life waited for her if she  recovered at all and needed to be discharged. How much she would suffer in an old-age home, and what arrangements and resources we’d need if we wanted to avoid that. It was impossible to know.  

My poor mom. She was so beloved. I spent the weeks there i...