Monica Graham got her first inkling that her eighty-nine-year-old mother might not be able to continue living on her own when she coated chicken breasts with dishwashing liquid for dinner. It was an easy mistake—the yellow detergent lived right beside the olive oil on the kitchen counter. Graham could easily have done the same thing herself, she thought.

But as her visit with her mom in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, progressed, Graham—who lives in Pictou, Nova Scotia—began to recognize that her mother had been successfully hiding increasingly apparent signs that her memory was failing; she wasn’t getting by as well as she had been letting on. So began the arduous process of finding and securing a safe place for her mother to live—and of clearing out several decades’ worth of belongings.

Part memoir, part cautionary tale, part how-to guide, Senior Moment offers insight and practical guidance for Atlantic Canadians on how to usher a loved one into the world of continuing care. With wit, wisdom, and a dose of whimsy, author Monica Graham explores the inevitable hurdles of caring for our elders.