--- title: Taking Care: An Intimate Look at One Family's Life with Parkinson's description: “Taking Care” is a series intimately covering the lives of caregivers and the people they care for. This month’s edition is on Parkinson’s Disease canonical: https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-24T12:00:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:02:07.652Z article:section: Health og:title: Taking Care: An Intimate Look at One Family's Life with Parkinson's Disease og:description: “Taking Care” is a series covering the lives of caregivers and the people they care for. og:url: https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2a6c8f8cf5bf72d/69876978524fc0c628deacc8/abby-kraftowitz-eleanor-parkinsons-disease.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Eleanor Copeman, diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, at her home in Elkins, W.Va., on March 3, 2013. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Taking Care: An Intimate Look at One Family's Life with Parkinson's Disease twitter:description: “Taking Care” is a series covering the lives of caregivers and the people they care for. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2a6c8f8cf5bf72d/69876978524fc0c628deacc8/abby-kraftowitz-eleanor-parkinsons-disease.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Taking Care: An Intimate Look at How Parkinson's Disease Has Changed 1 Family's Life > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1e62034f-d1bf-4918-bf88-503fed7b0ca2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1e62034f-d1bf-4918-bf88-503fed7b0ca2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=1e62034f-d1bf-4918-bf88-503fed7b0ca2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1e62034f-d1bf-4918-bf88-503fed7b0ca2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Taking Care: An Intimate Look At One Family's Life With Parkinsons [Watch (HLS stream): Taking Care: An Intimate Look At One Family's Life With Parkinsons](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tQQDED2R.m3u8) (3:16)  _Published 2014-11-18. In this installation of TIME's series on caregiving, photographer Abby Kraftowitz documents the Copeman family's experience with Parkinson's disease_ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Nov 24, 2014 12:00 PM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Nov 24, 2014 12:00 PM UTC When Eleanor Copeman was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, an incurable condition that gradually attacks the nervous system and impairs even simple movements, family life for the Copemans changed forever. The vibrant, joyful matriarch who loved cooking for her family became dependent on her husband Douglas and daughter Tammy for everything from preparing meals to getting dressed. Now, almost a decade later, Eleanor also has dementia, which strikes [50-80% of people with Parkinson’s](http://www.alz.org/dementia/parkinsons-disease-symptoms.asp). The physical and emotional burdens of caretaking fall to the family.  Eleanor Copeman sweeps the porch outside the family home as her daughter rides her horse toward the house in Elkins, West Virginia, on July 14, 2012. Abby Kraftowitz “Physically, taking care of someone with Parkinson’s is intense—you have to be on 24/7,” Tammy Copeman tells photographer Abby Kraftowitz, who has been documenting the Copemans’ lives since 2012\. “I think it’s just a whole different level of love and loving your family.” Douglas says he chose to take care of Eleanor at home to honor a promise he made to her 51 years ago when they first married. Kraftowitz’s work offers a deep look into life inside one household touched by this chronic disease. [_Abby Kraftowitz_](http://www.abbykraftowitz.com/) _is a photographer based in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter_ [_@abbykraftowitz_](https://twitter.com/abbykraftowitz)_._ ## Transcript Before the disease took hold, now it seems like she was just a totally different person. My mother loved to dance. That was her favorite thing ever, she wanted to be a ballerina. [ LAUGH ] she enjoyed being with her family, she loved to cook, I don't know if she loves cleaning, but she was. Pretty intense about cleaning. [ MUSIC ] My name's Tammy Copeland, my mother's name is Eleanor, and she's in the advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease. My father and I are her primary caretakers. [ MUSIC ] in the beginning of the illness, sometimes you couldn't tell anything was wrong. And then as it progressed, I mean obviously people can tell things are wrong. The symptoms are very strange, they're on and off. So you have good days and bad. But you have dramatically different. Days dramatically different presentations of the illness scramble thinking, muscular rigidity. She's losing strength in her legs. Basically the ability to swallow is on and off. Has this changed my parents relationship at all? I would say [ MUSIC ] Yes, absolutely. The biggest challenge for my dad has been, I guess, switching roles. He has had to become the caretaker and he does, he does cooking, he does dressing. Physically taking care of someone with Parkinson's. Is very intense. You have to be on like 24 / 7. You have to watch her very closely because of falling risks, because of what she's dumping on the floor. She's turning, basically, into a baby with what she does. You know, I think it's just a whole different level of love. Loving your family. Thank God I read the book and expected it. I expected that there's gonna be a time that she doesn't know who I am. So I can be right here beside her, and she can be going, where's Tammy? And I'm like, I'm right here, Mom, I am Tammy. It's difficult and strange because you, again, never know what to expect. She definitely has quite a bit of awareness, which almost makes a devastating, horrific situation even more horrific. Emotionally, the hardest one is when she knows if, if she knows what's [ MUSIC ] Happening to her and when she's afraid of dying and she's basically telling you that. The majority of my time has been dedicated to helping with the care of my mother. I wanted her to have the best care, emotionally I guess i'm so close to my mother, it's hard for me not to be here at this point, this is. The most special thing you can do and, you know, who's more important than your mom. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/"},"headline":"Taking Care: An Intimate Look at How Parkinson's Disease Has Changed 1 Family's Life","datePublished":"2014-11-24T12:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:02:07.652Z","description":"“Taking Care” is a series intimately covering the lives of caregivers and the people they care for. This month’s edition is on Parkinson’s Disease","url":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/","keywords":["Aging","Parents","Family","Disease","photography","health","Dementia","caregiving"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2a6c8f8cf5bf72d/69876978524fc0c628deacc8/abby-kraftowitz-eleanor-parkinsons-disease.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2a6c8f8cf5bf72d/69876978524fc0c628deacc8/abby-kraftowitz-eleanor-parkinsons-disease.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Eleanor Copeman, diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, at her home in Elkins, W.Va., on March 3, 2013.","caption":"Eleanor Copeman, diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, at her home in Elkins, W.Va., on March 3, 2013.","creditText":"Abby Kraftowitz","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/aging/","name":"Aging"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/","name":"Taking Care: An Intimate Look at How Parkinson's Disease Has Changed 1 Family's Life"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Taking Care: An Intimate Look At One Family's Life With Parkinsons","description":"In this installation of TIME's series on caregiving, photographer Abby Kraftowitz documents the Copeman family's experience with Parkinson's disease","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/tQQDED2R/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-18T23:24:54.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tQQDED2R.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/","duration":"PT3M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3593442/parkinsons-disease-caregiving/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```