Communication

Two women are seen from the back in silhouette due to the strong sunset that they are viewing.

How to Be a True Friend to a Family Caregiver

Family caregivers often find that their social circles shrink over time. Casual friends are typically the first to drift away because a...

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...

This indoor image shows a close up of a woman's face.. She has medium length brown hair and is wearing a zebra striped top. We see her raised hands she and open mouth as she responds to someone with utter exasperation.

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...

This black and white image shows the top view of a downturned head. Dark hair is pulled back, arms are upraised to forehead. The person wears a hoodie with the hood slightly raised so we only see the head, hands and hoodie.

Reconciling Grief & Relief When the Loved One You Cared for Dies

When my mother died in a local nursing home, my “career” of visiting this exceptional facility nearly every day for almost 15...

New Caregivers: Tips on Caring for Elderly Parents

I have interacted with countless professional and informal caregivers over the years, and I’ve noticed two prominent patterns that characterized my own...

This outdoor image shows a large tree behind the two women in the foreground. A lovely summer day. The older woman has shorter, curly white hair and is smiling toward the younger woman who has both arms around the older woman's shoulders from behind. She, too, is smiling. The older woman wears a light blue blouse, and the younger woman wears a beige sweater.

How To Communicate with Your Older Parents So They Hear You

“My mom is 81 and lives alone in her condo,” Judy Hanson writes. “Her arthritis is painful, but she gets around with...

This indoor image shows a bouquet of lilacs in the background. In the foreground, we see a younger woman with dark hair pulled back learning over an older woman to accept a hug. She wears a Beige sweater and looks pleased by the hug. The gray-haired older woman hugging her is seated. She wears a hospital gown. We see her thin, aging arm as she hugs the younger woman.

Why Would Mom Choose to Smell Rather Than Use Incontinence Products?

Dear Carol: My mom is only 79 but she has a lot of health problems including lung disease requiring oxygen. She receives...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

Sensitivity Training for Caregivers of People with Dementia – Part 1

Please wipe this mess off my face. Please! Don’t go so fast, I can’t swallow! I’m not ready for a drink yet!...

Minding Our Elders’ 2025 Mid-Year Elder-Friendly Products and Tech Roundup

Dear Readers: It’s mid-year, already! That means it’s time for my semi-annual column that features elder-friendly products, services, and technology. I mostly...