"Compassionate Witness is a priceless resource and astute guide for those who face a challenging relationship with an aging parent. How I wish that this book had been written prior to the six years I cared for my mother at home." -- Vallie Fletcher Taylor, author of Spirits of Texas

"If you are looking for insight and information, Compassionate Witness is for you. Lianne Mercer offers wisdom and practical applications that bring into focus ways to heal relationships. Professional counselors, anyone working with the elderly, and those interested in the healing aspects of writing will find the therapeutic experiences described in the book useful." -- Bernadine Swanzy, LMSW

"Compassionate Witness is like a cleanly struck, deep sounding bell. Page after page got under my skin and down into my heart. On one level, Lianne Mercer's book is a remarkably subtle, honest, tough, surprising and often funny memoir about caring for her aging mother. But the deeper message is that self-care is integral to making the care of another a spiritual act. This book will deepen your connection to love and to loving." -- John Fox, author of Poetic Medicine: the Healing Art of Poem-Making

In this compelling story, Lianne Mercer draws upon her experiences as daughter, nurse, poet, and poetry therapist to take the reader on a guided journey through her mother's last years. At age 91, her mother came to live with her for five years and then spent 16 months in a nursing home. This is a journey toward death, but it's filled with life. From circumstances that could have been stifling, Lianne has woven a story about recognition and acceptance so that anger could be relinquished. The second part of the book, "Tips, Resources, and Other Helpful Stuff," includes health care and legal information, discussions of ways to resolve old resentments, and ways that writing can help to heal wounded feelings. Her poems appear throughout the book.