Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

An older woman in a red sweater sits on a couch close to the edge as she grasps the handles of a walker. A younger woman in pink scrubs leans toward her, arm extended behind the older woman's back. He other hand grasps the womans arm as she attempts to lift her to a standing position.

How Family Caregivers Can Obtain Medical Equipment for In-Home Care

Dear Carol: My mom requires 24/7 care, but she doesn’t qualify for hospice. Somehow, I need to obtain a lifting device and...

Image background is light purple. ON top is a banner that says Memory Board in white with a heart next to it. Beneath that we see the image of a electronic tabliet. The words we see are to remind a loved one when the family will be over and to say, "love you."

Memoryboard: A Tool Designed by Caregivers to Bring Comfort and Connection

Sponsored We developed Memoryboard based on our family’s experience with loved ones with memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. We saw firsthand the...

An indoor image of Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH. She stands against a gray background wearing a dark dress jacket open over a dark top with black beads and dainty earrings. She looks into the camera with a soft smile.

Free Caregiver Training with Support from a Geriatrician and More

Caregivers are often thrown into an unknown world of medication management and handling cognitive challenges. With little or no medical training, this...

A group of three women are standing outside of large city buildings. One is wearing a black sunhat and the others have bare heads. The are close together and laughing as they chat.

Respecting Diverse Approaches to Caregiving

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to caregiving. Every family caregiver must be free to make choices that work best for their unique...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

You Are Not Alone: Caregivers Share Their Experiences

Long-term caregiving can be isolating and lonely, which is why peer support is so vital to a caregiver’s mental, emotional, and physical...

This closeup image shows just the head of a woman with dark skin tightly curled hair. She is looking downward with her fingers covering her eyes where you can see one lip closed. She has nails polished in dark blue and a silver pinky ring. The mood is one of sadness or despair.

Is It Normal to Grieve Before Someone Dies?

Nearly everyone involved in caring for an ill or aging loved one is experiencing some degree of grief. However, we don’t usually...

This image shows the interior of a classic hospital room with bed covered in a sheet with a light green blanket. We see a black visitor's chair plus a board for instructions off to the side.

Hospice Care: Help During End Stages of Life

Each time I walked into Dad’s room in the nursing home, he would be rigid in bed, propped up on one elbow...

This outdoor image shows a space tree in the background. In the freground, we see an older woman with shorter gray hair, glasses, and a re sweater sitting next to a man wearing a black fedora with a red feather, darkrimmed glasses, and a bright blue sweater. They are looking at each other with love as he places his hand on her arm and she places her hand on top of his.

Alzheimer’s: Theft, Paranoia or Forgetfulness?

…The truth, as they see it, is still the truth in their eyes. Delusions, hallucinations, agitation, aggression and depression are all part...

The image shows the cover of the AARP Caregiver Answer Book with the title in bold over a blue sky. There is a stylized hill with a highway rolling over it. We see the dotted lines of the highway and stylized trees in various green, yellow and fall-like orange tones on the backside of the road. on the green grass toward the bottom of the graphic we see the author's names: Barry J. Jacobs, PsyD and below that Julia L. Mayber, PsyD

The Perfect Holiday Gift for A Caregiver: ‘The AARP Caregiver Answer Book’

Holidays nearly always increase the emotional load of caregiving and often, the physical tasks as well. With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the...