Caring. Supportive. Resilient.

After my father passed away and after years of being estranged from my family, I found my mother. She was in a closed dementia ward, alone and neglected. Even though I didn't know what it would take, I decided to bring her home. The beautiful woman I remembered deserved so much more than to spend her last years in a government-run facility where she didn't even get the basic rights of being a human being. In time, I discovered that while I thought I was saving my mom from a horrible existence, it was actually her who saved me. Together, we learned what forgiveness, trust, love, empathy, and care really meant. I also learned of the three qualities I did not know I had; caring, supportive and resilient.

My goal is to share our incredible journey and provide support for those who are thinking about bringing their elderly family members home. It's important to offer guidance and assistance to others who may be facing similar challenges. We want to inspire while also providing practical advice and resources to help ease the burden of caregiving. This demanding role can also be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. We hope that by sharing our experiences, we can make a positive impact and help others navigate the complexities of caregiving for the elderly with Dementia.

Older Parent with Dementia at Home

Edith was born in 1932 in the city of Czernowitz, at that time German- speaking Bukowina in Romania. She went to a German school, but after the Russian occupation of 1940 she had to switch to a Russian school. In 1941, fascist Romania together with their Nazi German allies reoccupied Bukowina and schooling for Jewish children was prohibited. The only education possible was home tutoring.

In 1943 at the age of eleven, Edith started her clandestine escape from Czernowitz along with her parents as part of a small group of Jewish academics. The goal was to reach Palestine that was at the time a British Mandate protectorate. The journey that, in peace time, should have taken a few days by train, took the group, through enormous hurdles and grave perils, two years.

In 1945, finally in Palestine with only their clothes on their backs, life continued to be a constant battle. It took years but eventually the family established itself and once again, life became worth living. In Tel Aviv, Edith attended the Herzelia high school and later graduated with the London Matriculation. In 1950, Edith was drafted into the I.D.F. (Israeli Defense Forces) for the compulsory two years and served in the military police. In 1954 Edith was employed with the Israeli Government Tourist Office at Lod airport. In 1957 she participated in an El Al school for Flight attendants and was with the airline until she married Uri H. Sommerfeld in 1961. The couple lived in Savyon, Israel and together raised their three sons from previous marriages and daughter Daniela. In 1982 the couple and daughter emigrated to Toronto, Canada where they live until this very day.