Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

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...

A woman with short brown hair sits in a wheelchair with her head turned toward another woman with long brown hair who appears to be a caregiver. In the lower left corner is a circle that shows a turquoise SenecaSense pod.

Experiencing Incontinence? Restore Comfort and Confidence with SenecaSense Home

No more unnecessary brief checks. Get smart alerts when it’s the right time to replace the brief SenecaSense Home: Discreet Support That...

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...

This indoor image shows a white paneled wall in the background. In the foreground, we see an older woman on the left. She has tighly curled gray hair, medium toned skin, and is wearing a light blue button shirt. on her right sits a younger woman witih long blonde hair wearing a medium blue short-sleeved top. She has one arm around the shoulder of the older woman and the opposing hand on the woman's other shoulder. Both are smiling.

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...

This image shows a laptop on a white surface. An older man with neat white hair and a trim beard looks up at the camera. He's wearing a pink short-sleeved knit shirt.

Solo Agers: Adults Without Close Kin Seek Outside Resources to Manage Future Care

Dear Carol: I’m a 73-year-old widower with no children or close relatives. I’m still healthy, but to be prudent, I need to...

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.

Father’s Day as a Caregiver: Remembering Dad Before Dementia

This Father’s Day, I’ll have fond memories of my dad, as will many caregivers and adult children. The juxtaposition of the past...

An fit-looking older man sits in a comfortable chair. He's wearing a dark collared cardigan over a white golf style shirt, We shee his lighter brown pantsleg on whiche one had rests. He's golding a phone to his ear with the other hand, and by his expression, enjoying the conversation. This gentleman has light skin, are receding hairline with closely cut gray hoir on the sides, and he wears modern wire-rimmed glasses.

Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Your Attention

Our aging loved ones often repeat the same stories over and over again. As our patience wanes, we blame the repetition on memory...

We see two middle-aged adults sitting at a distance on a couch, clearing aging. The woman on the left had her head turned away. She has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a white shirt. Her arms are folded in defiance. The male on the right also has his head turned away and sits with arms folded. He has brown hair and is wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt.

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....

this indoor image has a blurred background. IN the foreground we see a man with clipped brown hair and a receeding hairline who wears a cream golf-style shirt with some muted stripes. He has brown skin. He wears an unhappy frown and he looks slightly toward the side.

How to Cope with 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...

Man and woman pointing fingers and yelling at each other. Look like adult siblings with brown hair and slightly Asian features

What to Do When Siblings Can’t Agree on a Parent’s Care Needs

For some lucky families, having all adult siblings gather around and plan how to take care of Mom and Dad as their...

8 Truths of Dementia Caregiving

As we travel our own unique journeys, most of us find that certain phrases or concepts take on the status of truth...

A older man sits at a computer at a desk. His head is turned as he smiles at a younger woman whom he obviously loves. His arm is reaching around her shoulders. Both have dark skin; the man has gray hair and a goatee.

Older Adults Have Different Criteria When Deciding How to Approach Cancer

Dear Carol: My Dad was diagnosed with non-aggressive prostate cancer. In the past, he’s been proactive about his health, but now he’s...