How Involved Should Families Be When Elders Live in a Senior Living Facility?
Over the course of 15 years, five of my elderly loved ones lived, for various spans of time, in a nearby nursing home. I...
Aging parents
Caregivers Can Struggle to Keep Other Relationships Healthy
Dear Carol: I’m the designated family caregiver for my relatively healthy but aging parents. My siblings live at a distance and do what they...
The Aftermath of Long-Term Caregiving: Is Stress the New Normal?
Often long-term caregivers wonder if their lives will ever return to normal. The short answer is no; at least for most of us. There...
Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be a Caregiver
Each of us is unique, with our own talents and flaws. Often, our so-called faults are merely ways in which we differ from society’s...
The Best Ways to Support a Caregiving Spouse
When people get married, they quickly learn that they’ve made a commitment to more than one person. Essentially, you marry your spouse’s whole family....
How Caregiving Can Change Your Personality
There’s no getting around it: being a family caregiver is bound to impact how you think and who you are as a person. Taking...
Responsible Planning Includes Sharing Digital Information
Dear Carol: My dad died from an aneurysm at only 65. Thankfully, he’d done his legal work so the family could theoretically step in...
Recognizing Caregiver Burnout and What to Do
Caregiver burnout isn’t something that happens all at once. We all have good days and bad days, which is normal. Eventually, though, we may...
Apologizing After Caregiver Stress Causes a Blowup
Caregiving is a stressful job even during the best of times. The sheer amount of responsibility is enough to make the most stoic person...
Helping vs. Enabling: How to Strike a Balance While Caregiving
Most family caregivers want what is best for their loved ones, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Unfortunately, discerning what’s...
