Publisher's Synopsis
When 81-year-old Charlotte is diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's Disease, she rejects both her diagnosis and the help of her three daughters. The author and one sister live in upstate New York, the third sister, in West Virginia, and their mother, in central Florida. They have but seventy-two hours to get things in place before an Administrative Law Judge will decide on a placement he thinks best for their mother. The daughters renounce the possibility that she could become a ward of the state of Florida, and insist they can provide her the care she needs in New York. But it's not so simple. There is no Durable Power of Attorney and won't be one if Charlotte has anything to do with it. With tough love two of the sisters embark on two overwhelming challenges: reasoning with their strong-willed mother, and selecting alternative living arrangements for her. Along the way, they confront guilt, fear, and family conflict while maneuvering through the social, medical, and legal establishment, finally kidnapping their mother to bring her to New York. Five Pennies past 7-a response to the question, "What time is it, Mom?"-is the poignant memoir of the author, who walks the reader through the process of caretaking a difficult yet desperately vulnerable parent. Readers will find in this book not only a suspenseful story, but will also learn the difference between a good Power of Attorney and a poor one, ways to assess assisted living residences, and what to expect at a guardianship hearing.
