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...
Caregiving
“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...
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...
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...
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....
Did Your Mother Really Know Best?
Witnessing our parents’ aging process can be uncomfortable. Some people consider the pain so unbearable that they find reasons to be angry with...
Needing a Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gift? How About One That’s Both Fun and Meaningful?
Gift giving for older adults can feel complicated, but it needn’t be. KOSMOS Gifts offers legacy time capsules that intrigue me. The...
Should You Convince Your Aging Parents to Move Closer to You?
As a columnist for a newspaper on the northern plains, I often have readers write me that they are begging their parents...
Adult Daughter Upset that Dad Doesn’t Take Pre-Diabetes Seriously
Dear Carol: My 69-year-old father is overweight, sedentary, and he loves junk food. There’s no point in nagging him about his poor...
How to Keep Seniors Active and Engaged
I recently spoke with a caregiver named Ann who was struggling with how to adapt to life as a caregiver. For the...
