Adie & Alice Offers a Look at Elder Care

After purchasing an assisted living facility that specializes in the care of elderly mentally handicapped residents, Trisha figures that while her husband acts as administrator and handyman, she can perform her duties as the nursing professional and remain detached from the sometimes messy interaction with the residents.
However, Adie and Alice, two sisters who have spent their lives in various institutions, are determined to draw her out of her shell and into their lives, despite her best efforts to avoid contact, do her job and leave before her heart betrays her.
Without realizing it, she becomes an integral part of their lives — from her point of view, as someone who is to provide the best possible care, but from their point of view, as someone they have come to love and trust, another member of their family.
Sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, T.K. Owens' "Adie and Alice: Sisters with a Special Life" (Dorrance paperback, $14) gives readers a glimpse into the challenges and rewards of working with and caring for both mentally handicapped and elderly human beings.