How to Talk About a Friend’s Death When Someone Has Dementia
A friend recently faced the task of letting her mother, who has mid-level dementia, know that the mother’s elderly brother had died. This death...
Death and dying
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 play as...
Is It Normal to Grieve Before Someone Dies?
Nearly everyone involved in caring for an ill or aging loved one is experiencing some degree of grief. However, we don’t usually identify the...
Hospice Care: Help During End Stages of Life
…We knew Dad was wearing down. He didn’t have long to live, but did he have to be in such discomfort? I wanted him...
Music-Thanatology: Providing Harmony at the End of Life
The mission of hospice providers is to help people live their last months or weeks of life in the most comfortable, dignified, and satisfying...
Losing the Ability to Swallow: How to Help Someone With Dysphagia
Coping with an ill loved one’s difficulty swallowing can be frustrating and frightening for everyone involved. Caring for someone we love means nurturing and...
When Your Loved One Rallies Before Death
Family members are often relieved and hopeful when a dying loved one suddenly becomes more aware of their surroundings or begins talking or eating...
Why So Many Long-Married Couples Die Close Together
While death rarely brings pleasant feelings, from time to time we’ll see a story about death go viral on the Internet because it touches...
How to Engage in Self-Care While Grieving
Many caregivers watch their loved ones endure a long, slow decline that will eventually end in death. As they age, we grieve every mental...
Life As a Caregiver: How to Make Tough Care Decisions
Many of us feel honored to provide care for our aging parents or ill spouses, but this honor can also present serious challenges. Even...
