4 Of the Toughest Challenges We Face As Caregivers
Caregiving throws many challenges our way, including establishing care routines for our elders that are not only challenging but may be somewhat...
Compassion
How to Approach Parents Who Appear to Need Help but Resist Your Efforts
Dear Carol: My parents are in their mid-eighties and live in the same home where they raised the family. They were doing...
Delirium After an Older Adult’s Hospitalization Is a Legitimate Concern
Dear Carol: My 95-year-old mom was recently hospitalized for pneumonia. While there, she developed delirium and didn’t even know the family. The...
Confused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren’t Alone
Dear Carol: My mom has advanced lung disease as well as late-stage Alzheimer’s. We know that there are no cures for either of...
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...
Caregiver Burnout is Best Prevented Since Recovery Is Hard on Everyone
Dear Carol: My mom, age 79, has had steadily declining health for several years. Arthritis is a genetic problem in my family, so...
Physical Changes Make Incontinence a Common Concern as People Age
Dear Carol: I’m writing because I want to help my husband, who had surgery for prostate cancer, understand that he’s not alone...
When You’ve Promised a Parent You’d Never Put Them in a Care Facility
Caregiving is a job that is full of ups and downs. Many of us take on this role out of love and...
An Older Adult Skips Bathing? Maybe there’s a Good Reason
A common complaint about older people, especially those who have health challenges, is that they “smell” or have other signs that they...
Relief Mixed with Grief Normal After a Suffering Loved One’s Death
Dear Carol: My mom died after five years of living with dementia symptoms along with decades of pain from rheumatoid arthritis. Her...
