A Common Caregiver Confession: “I Secretly Wish the Ill Person I’m Caring for Would Die”
Every so often, someone on the AgingCare Caregiver Forum will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass...
Death and dying
How to Get Over Feelings That Prevent You From Visiting Someone in a Care Home
People cite numerous reasons for why they hate visiting nursing homes. Some can’t stand funky smells, others find the sight of disengaged,...
Why Caregivers Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Calling Hospice
A billboard in my city carries a simple message: “Most families say, ‘Why did we wait so long to call hospice?’ “...
Solo Agers: Adults Without Close Kin Seek Outside Resources to Manage Future Care
Dear Carol: I’m a 73-year-old widower with no children or close relatives. I’m still healthy, but to be prudent, I need to...
Older Adults Have Different Criteria When Deciding How to Approach Cancer
Dear Carol: My Dad was diagnosed with non-aggressive prostate cancer. In the past, he’s been proactive about his health, but now he’s...
How to Communicate with Someone 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...
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...
Humor Can Protect Caregivers’ Hearts from Their Deepest Sorrows
One of the positive parts of being a family caregiver is the opportunity for emotional growth. We can develop increased compassion, patience,...
Consider Palliative Care for Parent with Multiple Health Challenges
Dear Carol: I want so badly to help my mom have as good a life as possible during her last years, yet...
Hospice Care: Help During the End Stages of Life
“No one needs to die in pain.” That is what the social worker told me as I signed the papers that would...
