Real Estate Agent Mom Forgets Listings, Finds Joy in Shredding MapQuest
KEY POINTS
- •CherylAnn Haley began aiding her mom Sandy’s dementia care after symptoms started in Sandy’s 70s, when she was still a real estate agent forgetting showings.
- •Sandy used therapeutic paper shredding to soothe anxiety, even after her dementia diagnosis of vascular type confirmed by MRI in 2017.
- •After multiple episodes of going missing and declining at home, Sandy moved to assisted living, then hospice, with CherylAnn acting as her dedicated full-time aide.
CherylAnn Haley, 58, Tampa private aide and certified dementia educator, chronicles her mom Sandy's vascular dementia journey since her mid-70s. Once a real estate agent forgetting her own listings and repeatedly dialing the office mid-showing, Sandy took solace in methodically shredding outdated MapQuest printouts and files, calling it 'cathartic.' In 2016, she 'lost' herself at CherylAnn's apartment unannounced claiming, 'We can buy new clothes,' after arriving empty-handed for a weekend stay. Despite chaotic late-night wanderings discovered by sheriff's deputies and moving through assisted living to hospice, CherylAnn is now the self-styled 'dementia translator,' interpreting shredded paper rituals and 'no' answers that mean 'maybe' for Mom's care teams.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)Nothing screams 'I’ve got this totally under control' like becoming your mom’s full-time 'dementia translator' and paper-shredder whisperer. Real estate listings forgotten but shredding expertly mastered. Welcome to caregiving, where pajamas and ice cream mugs become essential luggage.
Mom’s dementia coming with a side gig shredding MapQuest directions to relieve stress sounds like the health trend we didn’t ask for but definitely needed.
Who needs calm conversation when you can say 'don’t you have anything better to do?' to the kid who’s trying to follow you home? Classic dementia sass.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 3/19/2026 | Author: Jane Ridley
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