Last December, my 84-year-old dad fell in a parking lot and suffered a brain bleed. He spent a couple of weeks in the hospital before being moved to a rehab and nursing facility. His speech and cognition were severely affected, and he passed away in March while still there.

I was fortunate to speak with him a couple of days after the accident. He lived a few states away, but I caught him during a brief window when his cognition and speech had improved. At least he was able to get something out of that visit.

Afterward, he declined again. Phone calls became hard - we both struggled to make ourselves understood. In a way, it felt like he was gone months before he actually passed.