Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

This indoor image shows and older couple, likely grandparents, holding small children. The man has graying hair, wire-reimmed glasses, and wears a pink shirt. He holds an infant about about a year old wearing a blue and red plaid garment and a white gow in the hair. The woman reaches her hand out to the infamt, but we see just part of the arm of an older child who sites on her hap. The child wears a light blue top with dark blue around the collar. The woman has gray hair and glasses, and she wears a burgundy long-sleeved sweater. All have light skin.

Is It Wise for Your Aging Parent to Move in with You?

Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents...

A tall painter's ladder rests agaist a wall that's been torn open to show the backing. The viewer sees unfinished patched plaster or drywall on the side.

Safety Vs. Autonomy in Aging

A recent question on the AgingCare Caregiver Forum brought back memories from my early days of caregiving. The member wrote, “My 81-year-old father still...

This image has a dark, indoor background. In the foreground, we see a woman with thick, iron gray hair, some standing up oddly. She has brown skin, dark eyes, and is staring off to the side with a frown on her face. She wears a black garment.

Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?

Note: The study referred to here is older because this is an older article. However, the message of the article to use caution when...

This image shows an extreme closeup of an older woman's face. She has light skin, blue yes staring directly ahead, with a small amount of gray hair showing on one side. We see some mottling, age spots and wrinkles on her agng skin.

Elders Who Abuse Their Family Caregivers

Most of us have seen evidence of people being harder on those they love than they are on strangers, or even people they don’t...

Thei indoor image shows an older man sitting at a table using a laptop. He has a brown coffee cup near one hand. The man is bald, wears glasses, and is wearing a dark blue button-up, long0sleeved shirt. He looks engrossed in what he sees on the screen.

Parent’s Death Left Family Unable to Access Vital Online Accounts

Dear Carol: I rarely see this problem addressed. My dad, a widower, was in excellent health for someone in their 70s. He was fully...

This sepia-toned image shows an older could with content smiles since they have their arms around each other. We see the woman's profle as she looks off to the side. She has short, older fashioned brownish hair and is wearing a dark, formal wrap with a high, standing collar. The man has his hand on her shoulder and he looks out over her head. He's got receding gray hair and is wearing a dress suit with a white shirt and dark tie. Both have light skin.

Coping when Both Parents Have Dementia

“My mom and dad both have dementia. I am all alone taking care of them since. I have no one to help me. I...

This indoor image shows a large white interior with a windowed exterior door. Several couches and other comfortable seating is visible as is a turquoise area rug. in the distance, we see a dining room and another room beyond that.

The Emotional Toll of Moving Your Elderly Parent to Senior Living

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. For most of us, the feeling is less about how large or fancy a...

this indoor image shows a moder kitchen with white walls and cupboards in the background, though we see an open doorway. At a table, sits an older man with a receding hairline. His hair is white, and he wears dark rimmed glasses and a black and red buffalo plaid robe. A younger woman with long blonde hair, light skin, and causual blue tee with jeans is smiling as she hands the older man a plate. We see the arm of someone else around the shoulder of the older man.

How to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Aging Parents

………….. Sex and death: It’s odd that these two topics of conversation should bring so much anxiety to parents and children. One addresses the...

This indoor image shows large windows with a blurred view of a large white building. Inside, in the freground, we see an older man with dark skin and white cropped, curly hair. He wears a navy long sleeved shirt. He holds out one arm toward his helper who is a younger woman. She has dark skin, black surly, puffy hair, and is wwearing a light yellow cardigan over a white surplice top with jeans. She holes the man's arm as she tries to help him balance.

When Older Adults Won’t Accept In-home Caregivers

Hiring in-home care for my elderly neighbor, Joe, was quite an ordeal. The company we chose and their professional caregivers were great, but the...

This indoor image shows a closeup of a man's face. He's middle aged with brown hair, whispy bangs, light skin and blue eyes which are widened with eyebrows raised in an exageraged look of surprise. Hes mouth shows bemusement or confusion. His clothing is plain so all we see is a beight tee shirt.

Stressed Families: Siblings Who Feel Shut Out of Caregiving

There’s a great deal of anger in the world of family caregiving over siblings who don’t help care for their aging parents. Very often,...

How to Handle Controlling Elderly Parents

The responsibility of providing care for an aging or ill loved one is a monumental challenge in its own right. But when a care...