Caregiver stress

Understanding the Difference Between Lying and Confabulation in Dementia

Dear Carol: My mom burned pans when she cooked, got overdue notices on bills, and has become incontinent. Since she wasn’t safe living alone,...

A middle-aged couple stands together enjoying each other's company. Both are African American. He has his arms folded across his chest, with his head bent down, a big smile on his face as he watches the woman holding an object in her hands. The woman is shorter and wearing a violet sweater. She, too, is smiling as if enjoying the object in her hand - maybe a gift.

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....

Father and adult daughter site together on a couch, each with a computer open. It appears that the daughter is helping the father figure out a computer problem. The daughter hs long brown hair and is wearing a white print shirt. The Father is wearing jeans and a white, long-sleeved shirt. The background is a room interior with shelving.

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...

Image shows a younger woman on the right with dark hair and wearing a black and white shirt, kissing an older woman on the cheek. the older woman smiles as she accepts the kiss. She has long gray hair and is wearing a black and white print sleeveless dress dress

Respecting Diverse Approaches to Caregiving

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to caregiving. Every family caregiver must be free to make choices that work best for their unique situation. Even...

Background is parklike with trees and a parking lot. Foreground is a woman with long blonde hair done in a braid that's wrapped around her head. She's holding her face in her hands as though weeping. Her fingernails are polished in a pearl tone and she wears a watch with a wide black strap. She's standing up and she's wearing a black short-sleeved shirt.

Recognizing Caregiver Burnout While It’s Happening

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...

Image shows an upset woman, shouting at someone. She's wearing a light blue turtleneck sweater, and holding her hands in the air showing her exasperation. She has curly dark hair and brown skin.

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...

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....