Consider Palliative Care for Parent with Multiple Health Challenges
Dear Carol: I want so badly to help my mom have as good a life as possible during her last years, yet I find I’m terribly limited in what I can do. She has fibromyalgia, arthritis, and lung disease, so she lives in an assisted living community. They do a decent job considering their staffing challenges, and I visit nearly every day so I can support her. Mom tries to take part in activities, but she’s easily exhausted. I’ve argued with doctors about her pain levels, but they said that most things that would help would either increase the risk of a fall or cause stomach or kidney problems. Why does aging have to be so hard? She’s a good person who has worked her whole life and overcome so many odds that having her life end this way seems extra unfair. – RE
Dear RE: One of the hardest things about being a caregiver is that we want to fix all the hard parts for people we love, and that is beyond our capabilities. Sometimes, it seems that there are medical miracles daily for rare and/or dramatic diseases, which I celebrate, but the pain endured by people with chronic pain is less successfully treated. Sadly, for older adults, even those options become sparse. It’s a problem that…
Helpful Tools:
Stay connected with Memoryboard: Designed by caregivers. Memoryboard helps families share reminders, messages, updates, and photos on an easy-to-use screen designed for people with dementia. Peace of mind for families, independence for loved ones.
Wetness indicator and alert to help manage incontinence with dignity. SenecaSense Home: Discreet Support That Restores Comfort and Confidence
Leslie Kernisan, MD, MPH, has opened up support! View two free caregiving webinars that can help you help your older parents (and yourself).
Discover the Difference. EGOSAN: The premium incontinence brand caregivers love: They save work! Now Available on Amazon.
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories: “…This book is for all of us; let it help you cope! Thank you to the author and everyone she spoke with!” …Dolores
