Hospital Delirium: Cognitive Decline After Hospitalization
In the expected course of treatment, people are hospitalized because they are ill. Then, barring a terminal condition, they are released because they are...
Minding Our Elders
How to Engage in Self-Care While Grieving
Many caregivers watch their loved ones endure a long, slow decline that will eventually end in death. As they age, we grieve every mental...
Balancing Elder Care with Other Relationships
Becoming a family caregiver is often something that either happens very suddenly or slowly sneaks up on a person. When a loved one has...
When One Parent Dies the Other Often Needs a Long-Term Care Plan
Long-term marriages generally evolve into a support system so efficient that even adult children hardly notice changes in their parents. If Dad’s hearing is...
Journaling for Caregivers: Rediscover Yourself and Reclaim Your Life
At some point during your caregiving journey, you may find yourself in a rut. The awareness may come with a birthday, a change in...
Reconciling Grief & Relief When the Loved One You Cared for Dies
When my mother died in a local nursing home, my “career” of visiting this exceptional facility nearly every day for almost 15 years ended....
Cognitive Decline After Illness Common, but Check Medications, Too
Dear Carol: Until about six months ago, my mom, 93, was as cognitively sharp as ever. Unfortunately, she was hospitalized for several days for...
How to Support a Friend Who Has a Chronic Illness
Living with a chronic illness, such as cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, or an immune disorder, can be isolating and...
Hindsight Can Be a Blessing or a Curse for Caregivers
They say hindsight is 20/20. But things from the past that may seem “clear” to you now can still be distorted by difficult emotions—especially...
Caregiver Burnout is Best Prevented Since Recovery Is Hard on Everyone
Dear Carol: My mom, age 79, has had steadily declining health for several years. Arthritis is a genetic problem in my family, so pain...
