Surviving Caregiving and Loss

One morning eighteen years ago, my husband z”l, a professor of psychology and a gifted artist, and I walked through a door that took us into a parallel universe, as strange as Oz or Hogwarts. The entry was quick, almost instantaneous… with just a single moment of clarity, an awareness dawned that something was terribly wrong and that our lives would never be the same again.

So begins Holding it Together, a unique blend of memoir and self-help. It depicts the author’s struggle to care for her husband, who develops a rare dementia while just in his early sixties.

Incorporating her own story as well as those of other caregivers and widows, Holding it Together portrays the physical, psychological, and spiritual challenges of caring for a loved one, the pain of loss, and the realities of widowhood. It is laced with pathos and humor, insights and stories that will make you laugh and cry while giving a deep, inside look into this most difficult challenge. Above all, Holding it Together offers practical advice for day-to-day survival and advocacy for your loved one.

A retired professor of English, Joan Zlotnick’s publications include numerous scholarly articles, a non-fiction book on the literature of New York City, a novel, Griefwriting, and a column in Mishpacha Magazine on caregiving and grief. She and her daughter-in-law, Grunny Zlotnick, are currently editing an anthology of essays on Ahavas Yisrael.

By Joan Zlotnick