Caregiver stress

Middle-aged woman sits with jean clad knee drawn up. She's wearing a dark green sweather. One arm is around knew and the other bent up with hand over mouth. Her expression is one of saddness or anxiety.

In Caregiving, Anxiety Can Be Contagious

We all live with a certain amount of worry, much of which is caused by fear of the unknown. Since health issues can change...

Older woman with long gray hair lies back with a content smile on her face. She's covered by a light, cream colored blanket. Younger woman with brown hair lays her head on the older womans shoulder.

Embracing Positive Caregiving Moments Makes Bad Times Tolerable

My nature is generally upbeat. I try to be grateful for my many blessings and not dwell on the negative. However, as a family...

Closeup of a man's face. He has thinning brown hair mixed with gray and a graying beard and mustashe. He's looking at the camera with challenging eyes, seeming to question your reaction.

Dementia and Inappropriate Behavior: How to Respond

Dementia can cause people to say and do some pretty odd things. Family caregivers may be caught off guard at first, but as they...

When We Become Caregivers, Friends May Disappear

Most people have not personally provided care for a loved one and therefore cannot fully understand everything that goes into being a family caregiver....

An older woman with salt and pepper hair and brown skin sits in what appears to be a balcony chair that's black wrought iron. She's wearhing a white top with pink and green muted flowers and her expression is unhappy as though complaining.

Caregivers Can’t Fix Aging, but We Can Listen and Validate Distress

Dear Carol: My mom’s blessed with relatively good health for someone in her early 80s. She has enough money to live nicely, if not...

Image shows a blurred background of an with a speeding ambulance in the foreground. Ambulance shows red and blue graphics on white.

Elder Care Needs Can Change in an Instant

During the years I cared for multiple elders, I grew to dread the ringing of the telephone. It seemed most calls meant emergencies. One...

Older woman in a wheelchair wears a gray sweater. She has short, salt and pepper hair and has a appears happy. A younder woman, presumably her caregiver, is bending down to listen to the older woman. The caregiver has long brown hair, white skin, and has her hand on the wheelchair push handles.

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...

A very close shot of an older face. The person has blank looking blue eyes, the skin is white, sun damaged, and wrinkeled.

Repetitive Questions in Dementia Stems from Memory Loss and Confusion

Dear Carol: My mother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, repeats the same question multiple times an hour. I know that’s typical behavior with...