Caregiver stress

Coping with Caregiving: How to End the Habit of Emotional Eating

As far back as breast or formula feeding, most of us learned that a sweet taste meant care and comfort. As we grew into...

Dementia Bathing: A Challenge for Caregivers but Guidelines Help

Getting an aging or ill loved one to bathe can be a notorious battle that many family caregivers experience. When dementia is a part...

How to Communicate with Someone Who Can No Longer Speak

Years ago, I stumbled upon a video that remains vivid in my mind. In it, an elderly couple who had spent a lifetime devoted...

Confabulation: What’s Really Happening When People with Dementia Seem to Lie?

Dear Carol: I’m my mom’s only daughter, so we are close. Mom was recently diagnosed with mixed dementia, so I moved her in with me...

Four of the Most Challenging Caregiver Situations

Caregiving throws many challenges our way, including establishing care routines for our elders that are not only challenging, but may be somewhat embarrassing. By...

Why Would Someone with Dementia Resist Changing Clothes?

Dear Carol: My 83-year-old mother was once obsessive about her hygiene and stylish wardrobe, but now she resists changing clothes. She has early dementia...

How to Handle Repetitive Questions from People Living with Dementia

Dear Carol: It’s still morning but since my mom has dementia and lives with me, I’ve already answered the same question five times. She’ll...

10 Common Caregiver Confessions

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a family caregiver who never gets frustrated and is an eternal optimist? Maybe there are some like that...

How to Cope with Alzheimer’s Caregiver Burnout

You watch your once mentally sharp loved one decline before your eyes. Their uncontrollable behaviors, mood swings, outbursts, confusion, and memory loss are heartbreaking....