What do you think?
Rate this book
Mother, Can You Hear Me?
My mother suffered from dementia, and along with that, acute hearing loss. As her full time caregiver, I received a great deal of help in the form of the Home Health Care workers who visited twice a week. We were scheduled to meet with a new member of the health care team who would do a routine evaluation, asking questions to determine my mom's overall wellness.
I knew from experience that I needed to be with her during the interview. Dementia and hearing loss do not lend themselves easily to answering questions.
During my time as caregiver, I needed some sort of release from the indescribable demands, demands that never seemed to stop. There was no sleeping through the night. There was no turning over the reins to someone else.
I heard from many people during that time, people who were going through the same kinds of things I was dealing with. I had no idea that so many could identify with what I was writing about. People would stop me on the street, in the post office, the grocery store to say they knew exactly how I felt. They were going through...or had gone through...the very same things. They knew what it felt like to watch a parent forget how to put on a blouse. They knew what it felt like to be so tired, so bone tired, that weariness seeped into every movement, every thought. I remember distinctly that one man said to me, “I cared for my mom for almost ten years, and I’d give anything to have her back for just one more day.”
At the time, I couldn’t identify with what he’d said. The minute to minute responsibilities overwhelmed me. My only relief was laughter and to write.
So I present to you "Mother, Can You Hear Me?"...
I knew from experience that I needed to be with her during the interview. Dementia and hearing loss do not lend themselves easily to answering questions.
During my time as caregiver, I needed some sort of release from the indescribable demands, demands that never seemed to stop. There was no sleeping through the night. There was no turning over the reins to someone else.
I heard from many people during that time, people who were going through the same kinds of things I was dealing with. I had no idea that so many could identify with what I was writing about. People would stop me on the street, in the post office, the grocery store to say they knew exactly how I felt. They were going through...or had gone through...the very same things. They knew what it felt like to watch a parent forget how to put on a blouse. They knew what it felt like to be so tired, so bone tired, that weariness seeped into every movement, every thought. I remember distinctly that one man said to me, “I cared for my mom for almost ten years, and I’d give anything to have her back for just one more day.”
At the time, I couldn’t identify with what he’d said. The minute to minute responsibilities overwhelmed me. My only relief was laughter and to write.
So I present to you "Mother, Can You Hear Me?"...
58 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2014
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 13, 2018
This a true story how a mother that has dementia and how it affects the whole family friends and all the caretakers that care for the loved ones and patience that are suffering. Joy Ross Davis is her wonderful daughter she truly loved her mom she was her caretaker I could only imagine how difficult it was for her as she tells her story the more intriguing each page gets not only is this story heartfelt it gives you an understanding of this disease. This story will make you weep, laugh, and make you learn about dementia with loss memory and mental abilities and much more it takes a toll in everyday life. Joy expresses her words with such emotions a beautifully written story. I recommended this book to everyone to read.
June 12, 2018
A moving, yet funny account of the author’s time as a caregiver for her mother who is dealing with hearing loss and dementia. I have not personally been in a situation like this, but the frustrations and heartache that come along with being a full time caregiver must be hard and unbearable at times. Joy Ross Davis decided in order for her to survive this task she needed to write and deal with it with humor. I am sure that this book will bring a needed relief to those who are dealing with this now and to those who may be dealing with this in the future, it will bring encouragement and learning how to deal with being a caregiver with grace and laughter.
March 12, 2016
Mother, We Can Still Hear You…
An hour after closing my Kindle, I am still living inside this collection of essays that made me laugh out loud one second, cringe the next, or go in search of a tissue. I can still hear Elsa Frawley calling to her daughter in those endearing words that made me giggle and get misty-eyed all at once: “Sister, come get me. Hurry. I’ve been kidnapped!”
Elsa has dementia, is hard of hearing, and can be very demanding. But her caregiving daughter, author Joy Ross Davis, paints Elsa as a loveable rascal that keeps the reader in stitches one second and sighing with sadness the next. Joy’s collection reads like the best fast paced stories. Her writing is tight, spot-on, and threaded with enough humor and grace that you’ll regret having to say goodbye.
RIP, Elsa Frawley. You raised a fine daughter who grew up to be a natural storyteller who sprinkles a wee bit of Irish in most of her tales.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, author of the award-winning novel, Johnnie Come Lately
An hour after closing my Kindle, I am still living inside this collection of essays that made me laugh out loud one second, cringe the next, or go in search of a tissue. I can still hear Elsa Frawley calling to her daughter in those endearing words that made me giggle and get misty-eyed all at once: “Sister, come get me. Hurry. I’ve been kidnapped!”
Elsa has dementia, is hard of hearing, and can be very demanding. But her caregiving daughter, author Joy Ross Davis, paints Elsa as a loveable rascal that keeps the reader in stitches one second and sighing with sadness the next. Joy’s collection reads like the best fast paced stories. Her writing is tight, spot-on, and threaded with enough humor and grace that you’ll regret having to say goodbye.
RIP, Elsa Frawley. You raised a fine daughter who grew up to be a natural storyteller who sprinkles a wee bit of Irish in most of her tales.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, author of the award-winning novel, Johnnie Come Lately
June 23, 2015
Those who are caregivers are going to love this one. My friend Joy took care of her mom through her last days, through injuries and illness, through dementia and downright cantankerousness.
I've heard a lot of people complain about having to take care of their aging parents, but not Joy. Instead she wrote short articles for newspapers and magazines, articles filled with pathos and humor that everyone who's ever cared for someone under similar circumstances will relate to.
You know, you who have been there and worn out the T-shirt, you have to laugh or you'll cry your hearts out while you slowly go out of your mind. It's painful--but those little laughable situations can make the pain endurable. So go ahead--have yourself a chuckle or two. And at the end, send Joy Ross Davis a hug and a smile.
I've heard a lot of people complain about having to take care of their aging parents, but not Joy. Instead she wrote short articles for newspapers and magazines, articles filled with pathos and humor that everyone who's ever cared for someone under similar circumstances will relate to.
You know, you who have been there and worn out the T-shirt, you have to laugh or you'll cry your hearts out while you slowly go out of your mind. It's painful--but those little laughable situations can make the pain endurable. So go ahead--have yourself a chuckle or two. And at the end, send Joy Ross Davis a hug and a smile.
February 24, 2017
In "Mother Can You Hear Me," Joy Ross Davis shares the important practice that helped her meet the demands of caring for a mother with dementia. That practice was laughter and it was transformational for Davis, her mother and the situation. Davis demonstrates the truth of the Biblical adage, "A cheerful heart is good medicine." (Proverbs 17:22, NIV). To anyone facing a challenging situation, I recommend healthy doses of this book. It is good medicine.
July 21, 2015
This was not my normal choice of books. I like humor but read this because I'm working on my own life's story and wanted to see how someone else approached the subject. I got more than I bargained for. It was an enlightening read and view of the life of a adult daughter and how she deals with her mother's Alzheimers.
September 11, 2015
Joy was able to write about caring for her mother who has alzheimers, in an enjoyable and interesting way. And even though I smiled through most of it, I could feel both Joy's and her mother's pain. A good read!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews