Caregiving

This indoor image shows a large white interior with a windowed exterior door. Several couches and other comfortable seating is visible as is a turquoise area rug. in the distance, we see a dining room and another room beyond that.

The Emotional Toll of Moving Your Elderly Parent to Senior Living

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. For most of us, the feeling is less about how large or fancy a...

this indoor image shows a moder kitchen with white walls and cupboards in the background, though we see an open doorway. At a table, sits an older man with a receding hairline. His hair is white, and he wears dark rimmed glasses and a black and red buffalo plaid robe. A younger woman with long blonde hair, light skin, and causual blue tee with jeans is smiling as she hands the older man a plate. We see the arm of someone else around the shoulder of the older man.

How to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Aging Parents

………….. Sex and death: It’s odd that these two topics of conversation should bring so much anxiety to parents and children. One addresses the...

This indoor image shows a closeup of a man's face. He's middle aged with brown hair, whispy bangs, light skin and blue eyes which are widened with eyebrows raised in an exageraged look of surprise. Hes mouth shows bemusement or confusion. His clothing is plain so all we see is a beight tee shirt.

Stressed Families: Siblings Who Feel Shut Out of Caregiving

There’s a great deal of anger in the world of family caregiving over siblings who don’t help care for their aging parents. Very often,...

This summery image shows a group of summer trees in the background. In the foreground, we see a late-middle aged could seated together with the man's arm around the womans waist. Both a smiling broadly as if in a group of people who've made them laugh. The woman has curly, modern white hair and is wearing a denium button-down shirt, open at the color. The man has a receding hairline, gray hair, and is wearing a white golf shirt.

More Severe than Burnout, Compassion Fatigue is a Danger for Long-term Caregivers

Dear Carol: My parents and in-laws all lived to be very old, with years of physical and cognitive decline. I willingly cared for them...

This image shows a sunny day with tropical plants flowering in the background. On the left, we see a man with medium toned skin, a neatly trimmed beard, a black hat with a brim and a dark tee shirt. He's looking off into the distance with a stressed expression. On the right, we see a woman with equally dark hair cut in a sort bob. She has light skin and is wearing a gray shirt. Her expression shows raised eyebrows as in questioning the man's opinion.

What to Do When Siblings Can’t Agree on a Parent’s Care Needs

For some lucky families, having all adult siblings gather around and plan how to take care of Mom and Dad as their parents’ health...

How to Communicate with a Senior 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...

This image has a blurred outdoor background indicating trees and sky. In the foreground, we see an older woman with dullt died brown hair wearing a gardening apron. She is holding the brim of a gardening hat to the back of her head as she smiles at the camera.

“I Promised My Parents I’d Never Put Them in a Care Home”

Caregiving is a job that is full of ups and downs. Many of us take on this role out of love and concern, but...

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What to Do When a Senior Refuses to Bathe and Change Their Clothes

When it comes to caring for the elderly, hygiene issues are surprisingly common. Determining why their bathing habits have changed is the best way...

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Minimizing Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia

Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia and death...

Is Lying to Someone with Dementia Unethical or Compassionate?

Dear Carol: Like many of your readers, my husband has dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, and I’m caring for him at home. We’ve always...