The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Anxiety complicates life for dementia patients — and their caregivers

Perspective by
August 10, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
The author’s mother celebrates her 90th birthday. Anxiety isn’t a cognitive issue per se, but it’s a symptom that makes things difficult for patients and families. (Matthew Deily)

Late one night, the phone rings. It’s my mom. I brace myself and pick up.

“The Baltimore police just called,” she says. “Your brother is in jail!”

I know — well, I’m pretty certain — that my brother, who lives hundreds of miles from Baltimore and is a ­law-abiding family man, isn’t in jail, but that doesn’t really matter. Right now, the point is to calm my mom down.