As she nursed her mom through cancer and dementia, a tense relationship began to heal

In March 2020, Lori traveled to Florida to help Audrey move into an assisted living facility, a plan that was immediately upended with the arrival of nationwide lockdowns. In the next three months, Lori lived with Audrey in her apartment, sleeping in the same bed with her by night and teaching college classes remotely by day.

While her mother’s health spiraled, Lori’s relationship with Audrey actually began to mend. Lori began photographing objects around the apartment and that brought back shared memories and triggered deep conversations. Thrown into a new intimacy by the pandemic and caregiving, she and her mom were able to “heal the rifts of a lifetime,” she says.

Read more on NPR.

Featured image by Lori Grinker.

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