Minding Our Elders

Caregiving During the Holidays: Have a Realistic, Positive Approach

…Each year after Thanksgiving, I would make my rounds, decorating each elder’s apartment or nursing home room, planning how we would split our time...

Is the Nursing Home Overmedicating Your Elderly Loved One?

In the days before nursing homes became so highly regulated, many facilities used medications to sedate patients. Elders who were cooperative and slept a...

When a Person with Dementia Says, ‘I Just Want to Go Home’

Note: This is an older article that’s still valid, so I’m running it. However, dementia experts keep learning, and the thinking now is that...

A Caregiver’s Struggle: Balancing an Elder’s Sense of Purpose with Their Safety

A Caregiver’s Struggle: Balancing an Elder’s Sense of Purpose with Their Safety A recent question on the AgingCare Caregiver Forum brought back memories from...

Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?

Just last week a reader asked me whether she should try to sway her mother, who had colon cancer, toward surgery. Her mother, 87,...

Rushing People with Cognitive Decline Simply Increases Anxiety

Dear Carol: Last year, my husband was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Our current challenge is that he still wants to be Mr....

How to Stay Sane During the Holidays as a Sandwich Generation Caregiver

If one can believe the old Westerns, frontier women were the ultimate multi-taskers. They could rock a cradle with their foot to quiet a...

Dementia Caregiver How-To: Holiday Visits With Loved Ones

Thank you Lonna Whiting of Lonna.co and Being Patient for featuring me in this beautifully written article. Good information from others as well. Sarah...

Reducing Loneliness: How to Help Older Adults During the Holidays

While aging can bring wisdom and experience, there are inevitable losses that even the healthiest seniors face. Loved ones and friends fall ill and...