Trading Places, Raising Mom

Author: Sylvia 'Tip' Allison
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 141379582X
Publication Date: June 05, 2006
Publisher: PublishAmerica

Trading Places, Raising Mom by Burlington, North Carolina's Sylvia 'Tip' Allison. This emotional book of poetry is a close look at the author's experiences of taking care of her mother who suffered from Alzheimer's. Readers will feel the emotions Allison experienced while realizing that as a child her mother raised her, and now it was her turn to raise her mother.

When the doctor gave Sylvia the news that it was Alzheimer's, all she could do was cry. "I kept asking him what we should do and how should we care for her, and he said 'just treat her as if she were your daughter'."

Within a few moments, the roles of mother and daughter were reversed. Sylvia decided to move her mom into her home. She fed her, bathed her, and in essence, treated her like her own daughter. The strain of the constant caregiving was so great that, at times, Sylvia felt isolated and depressed. But she pressed on.

At night, when her mom was sound asleep, she began writing poetry. The words had helped her cope with the death of her younger sister in 1983, and she found that putting pen to paper was a big help now, too. "It was so relaxing," Sylvia said.

Sylvia found the courage to write about everyday events with her mom. "She would do things that it would seem so imaginable at the time."

Sylvia 'Tip' Allison has been published in the Burlington Daily Times News. She has also had some poems published in magazines and anthologies; written several stories for a local book Hometown Memories, about her memories of her childhood in Burlington, North Carolina, and has received several awards for her poetry for "Outstanding Writer" in 1998 and 1999. For more information, please visit Allison's website at website http://angelfire.com/poetry/sylvia2005/favorites.html.