Aging

A woman with curly dark hair and a smile is luxuriating in a large white tub filled with bubbles.

A Personal Approach to Coping with Caregiver Stress

Caregiving can bring forth an ever-changing kaleidoscope of emotions. These feelings are often bittersweet, but without the proper preparations and assistance, things can quickly...

Image shows a closeup of an older man's face. He's lying back on a pillow and appears to be talking with someone. He has salt-and-pepper hair and a receding hairline and wears dark-rimmed glasses.

When Loved Ones Rally Before Death

Family members are often relieved and hopeful when a dying loved one suddenly becomes more aware of their surroundings or begins talking or eating...

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...