Caregiving

Image background is a green house with rows of flowers. Foregound is a middle-aged couple. The gray haired man is tall and wearing a brown sweater. He's embracing a woman with long brown hair drawn back showing gray hair at the temples. She's wearing a brown and white print summer dress with off-the-shoulder ruffle.

Accepting Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Hard, Yet Capacity for Joy Remains

Dear Carol: Six months ago, our lives changed when my husband, age 58, was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He has good doctors who...

Older woman with curry gray hair wear a sweater with pink and yellow flowers. She's standing next to a pre-teen grandchild with brown hair, wearing a navy blue shirt.

Should Your Elderly Loved One Move in With You?

Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents...

The rear gate of a truck lowered to the ground and load with moving boxes sealed with red tape. In the background you see a white two story building with many windows that look like appartments.

Specialized Moving Services Ease Transitions to Senior Living Communities

When an aging parent transitions from their home to assisted living, independent living, a nursing home, or a relative’s home, it can be a...

Image background shows an interior view end table with a plant. Foreground shows a back view of a woman with short salt and pepper hair and a gray sweater being pushed in a wheelchair. Only one arm and hand of the person pushing the chair shows. She's wearing a white blouse or sweater with full sleeves.

How Often Should You Visit After Someone Moves to Memory Care?

Dear Carol: My mom is on a waiting list for memory care and should be able to move in soon. I’m struggling to accept...

Book cover showing the title and subtitle of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a room showing little detail but is toned a rich brown. The foreground is an older man in a light shirt, wearing dark rimmed glasses. He has his arms folded across his chest in a relaxed manner.

Father’s Day as a Caregiver: Remembering Dad Before Dementia

This Father’s Day, I’ll have fond memories of my dad, as will many caregivers and adult children. The juxtaposition of the past and present...

The background is a brown wood table. In the foreground and off to the side is a package wrapped in handsome dark brown paper tied up in teal ribbon with a nice bow

Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Your Attention

Our aging loved ones often repeat the same stories over and over again. As our patience wanes, we blame the repetition on memory issues,...

Hospital room with a bed covered by a green light-weight blanket. A gray chair sits in one corner

Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?

Note: This is an older article so the types of anesthesia have (in some cases) changed. That said, it’s clear that undergoing a procedure...

Sad woman with long brown hair sitting on the edge of a bed holding her head

Caregiver Guilt: How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Elderly Parents

Get used to it – the guilt, I mean. The incessant phone call thing was just one of the many games I had to...

An adult daughter with brown hair and wearing a red dress is showing dancing with an older gray-haired man, likely her father. The background shows lovely spring trees and a gathering that could be in a park.

Spring and Summer Cleaning: How to Refresh Your Caregiving Routine

For many families, spring or early summer is a time to shake off the winter blues, deep clean their homes and focus on getting...

Imagine of book cover for Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. Background is is a room blurred in muted brown tones. Foreground is of the author's father - an older man with dark rimmed glasses looking aside with a pensive expression on his face. Arms folded across chest in a relaxed posture.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Books: Best Reads for Family Caregivers

Note: I was interviewed by A Place for Mom about caregiving books, so I chose just some of my favorites (can’t name them all)....