Aging parents

An indoor image shows a white-tiled kitchen in the background. The foreground, an older woman with chin-length salt and pepper hair and a pink sleeveless shirt, stirring something at the stove. She is wearing gray wire-rimmed glasses.

Caregiver Questions Reason for Lab Work When Mother Doesn’t Want Treatment

Dear Carol: I’ve been helping my 84-year-old mom with her medications and doctor appointments. She’s made it plain that she doesn’t want any more...

Image background is black. On the left is an older woman with long gray hair wearing a dark sleeveless dress with white polka-dots. She's smiling as a younger dark-haired woman wearing a black and white vertically striped blouse kisses her cheek.

Am I a Caregiver? Defining the Family Caregiver Role

Many individuals struggle to accept the label of “family caregiver,” but fully embracing this role increases our chances of succeeding in it. What Is...

Honor Your Older Adult’s Need for Independence

Although we may not think about it in these terms very often, a person’s dignity and identity are often tied to their independence. As...

The image shows and older coupld against a white background. They are gazing at each other lovingly with hands, held up near their faces, touching as the man clasps the woman's hand. The man is bald with a gray mustache and is wearing a white undershirt topped by a dark blue V-neck. The woman is wearing a beige blouse or sweater.

Why So Many Long-Married Couples Die Close Together

While death rarely brings pleasant feelings, from time to time we’ll see a story about death go viral on the Internet because it touches...

Middle-aged woman lies back abainst white covered pillows. The's got short dark hair and large, dark-rimmed glasses and is wearing a dark pull-over sweater. Her hand it held up by her forehead and her expression is one of misery.

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...

Book cover of "Bringing Art to Life" by Daniel C. Potts. Image features a Bright yellow palette with rust accents all on the left. Title is in a rust/orange shade filling in on the right. Background here is white, shading to blue.

Dementia Can Open the Door to Artistic Expression

The treatment of people with dementia has changed dramatically since I first became personally involved with the disease. It’s now widely recognized that while...

Image shows the head of an older man, likely a grandfather. He's got gray hair and is balding some in the front. He's laughing as he beds down to touch the face of a pre-teen boy wearing a muted red cap. It appears that the child has been playing ball and his grandfather is congratulating the smiling child.

Multi-generational Households: The Ins and Outs of In-law Suites

When I was a teenager, my parents had a new home specifically built with separate quarters so my grandmother could live with us and...

This black and white image shows a closeup of an older man's face. He has a well-groomed beard and mustache. His face is wrinkled. and his expression is on of displeasure. He's holding a magnifying glad up to one eye.

How to Help While Emotionally Distancing from Abusive Parents

Dear Carol: I grew up in a household where the parents could never be pleased. My brother and I left home right after high...

Background shows a glorious sunrise across a lake. Foreground shows the silhouette of a woman from the side. S he's raising her arms in a yoga pose while looking ahead, likely doing breathing excercises.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Brain Healthy While Caregiving

Many of us cope with the stress of caring for someone who has dementia. We agonize over the increasing losses that our loved one...

Outdoor image of distant hills and trees. Foreground shows a couple with the man seated, possibly in a wheelchair. The man is bald with a beard and glasses. He wears a gray and white striped sweater. His head is turned sideways and he's smiling. The woman hugs him from the back as she stands. Her hair is in an Afro with golden tips and she's wearing a gray sweater.

Caring For Those in Chronic Pain: How Spouses Cope

Traditional marriage vows generally contain the words “through sickness and in health.” For some couples, chronic sickness in the form of a painful disease...