My Mom is Living with Alzheimer’s, But We’re Some of the Lucky Ones.
COMMENTARY

My Mom is Living with Alzheimer’s, But We’re Some of the Lucky Ones.
Computerized brain training can hold off cognitive decline and dementia, research suggests, and researchers have been quite successful at devising ways to diagnose Alzheimer's earlier and earlier. (Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Six years ago, my mother started to show signs of dementia. She would constantly lose personal items around the house and often became confused in casual conversations. I wish that was the worst of it. 

Months later, she began to hallucinate that there was a boy living on top of her refrigerator. Eventually, I discovered she gave all her money away to mail-order psychics who promised her riches. 

We turned to her doctor, who referred us to a neurologist. I remember the day we went to his office in the Bronx, where Black and Brown people like us packed the waiting room. After a series of tests, he told us dryly that she had Alzheimer’s disease and that we should “Google it.” I went home and cried. My dad and my sister have passed away so it has just been my mom and me for a long time.

Despite her diagnosis, I’ve come to realize we are actually some of the lucky ones. Through all the ups and downs, I’ve been able to care for her without missing a paycheck. Sadly, most employed dementia caregivers cannot say the same.  According to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, less than half of dementia caregivers have access to workforce policies such as paid family and medical leave.

Eventually, my mom was accepted into a clinical trial – making her one of the few Afro-Latinas enrolled in research supported by the National Institutes of Health. I was thrilled, but the schedule was grueling. She had to take medicine at a certain time, but she couldn’t take it on her own. Each week she had to visit with a series of different doctors, which meant coordinating transportation and appointments. We barely had enough money to cover the cost of the 45-minute Uber ride to the hospital. 

I shudder to think how any of this would’ve been possible if I didn’t have a job with flexibility. Unfortunately, for millions of dementia caregivers across the country, that nightmare is their reality. 

It’s simply unacceptable that the United States is the only high-wealth country without a paid leave program. No hard working person in this country should be forced to choose between caring for a loved one and making a living. It’s heartbreaking and it’s hurting our economy.  

When I think of the people lined up along the walls of that doctor’s waiting room, I’m reminded how the lack of access to paid leave is not a burden Americans share equally. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, compared with White workers, Latino workers are 66% less likely, Black workers 83% less likely and Native American, Pacific Islander and multiracial workers 100% less likely to be able to take leave when needed.

A national paid leave policy would help alleviate the many challenges facing working family caregivers – especially women and people of color – who often struggle to be in two places at once: at home providing daily critical care needs to those who rely on them and at work supporting their co-workers and earning an income. It would especially help many people in my situation, who are sandwiched between providing care for a loved one living with a chronic disease and raising children. 

So I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure Congress doesn’t forget people like me and my mom. After all, I learned the power of perseverance from her. 

My mother, Ramonda Latty, grew up poor in Santo Domingo, a city on the coast of the Dominican Republic. In the eighth grade, she had to drop out of school to take care of her brother, so her mother could work. 

My mom was a big dreamer. She wanted out of Santo Domingo, where she worried she’d live a life with no work, no money, and no hope. In 1950, she immigrated to New York. Living in America was her dream come true. She worked in factories and went to beauty school, eventually meeting my dad at a beauty parlor in Spanish Harlem where she worked. They were married nine months later and had two daughters: me and my big sister.

I’m sharing her story because it’s important to know this disease is not who my mother is, even though it has taken control of her.  Her story lives on in me.

I promised her when she was first diagnosed that I would share this story and amplify the struggles of families touched by Alzheimer’s.  

That’s why I recently testified before congress during a hearing about neurological diseases and asked the committee, on her behalf, to make paid family and medical leave a reality for families like mine. 

Caring for my mom has been challenging every step of the way, but I will always be grateful for the opportunity to be by her side during this difficult chapter in her life. Every caregiver should have that opportunity. 


Yvonne Latty is college professor at New York University and a caregiver advocate with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Opinions

Cuomo for NYC Mayor Isn’t a Given

As New York Democrats vied on stage recently to be the next mayor of America’s largest city, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo bore the... Read More

As New York Democrats vied on stage recently to be the next mayor of America’s largest city, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo bore the brunt of attacks by the other hopefuls. He had a target on his back for raising the most funds out of all the Democratic candidates, leading most conducted polls by double-digits, and amassing the... Read More

Keep HSAs in the One Big, Beautiful Bill

Last month, House Republicans narrowly passed a comprehensive budget bill by a single vote, legislation that included some of the most significant... Read More

Last month, House Republicans narrowly passed a comprehensive budget bill by a single vote, legislation that included some of the most significant changes to our health care system in over a decade. The Senate has promised to amend this "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." One thing they shouldn’t... Read More

‘Most Favored Nation’ Drug Pricing Wouldn't Actually Save Medicaid Money

Congressional Republicans recently advanced a sweeping budget bill that exceeds their initial savings goal, aiming to reduce federal spending by... Read More

Congressional Republicans recently advanced a sweeping budget bill that exceeds their initial savings goal, aiming to reduce federal spending by nearly $1 trillion. A large share of those reductions would come from changes to Medicaid, including new work requirements, copay adjustments and stricter eligibility checks. During... Read More

Public Universities Remain America's Best Investment — and They’re More Affordable Than You Think

“Colleges aren’t turning out the right kind of student[s].” That was the take offered by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a recent... Read More

“Colleges aren’t turning out the right kind of student[s].” That was the take offered by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a recent podcast appearance, where one of the leading voices in the tech industry echoed an argument we're hearing far too often: college is no longer an investment... Read More

June 4, 2025
by Andres Ramirez
Ballot Access: Federal and State Efforts on Voting Rights

The current debate over proof-of-citizenship and other voting restrictions is the latest chapter in a long history of battles over... Read More

The current debate over proof-of-citizenship and other voting restrictions is the latest chapter in a long history of battles over access to the ballot in America. For decades, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided robust federal protections against discriminatory voting laws, especially in states with... Read More

Health Care Needs a New Pot of Money

The United States has the worst-performing health care system despite spending the most on health care among nine other high-income nations. Americans,... Read More

The United States has the worst-performing health care system despite spending the most on health care among nine other high-income nations. Americans, especially in rural communities, have lower life expectancy, higher prevalence of chronic disease, dismal maternal mortality outcomes, significant mental health challenges, and growing obesity rates.  The health of Americans is declining, but we can... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top