Grief

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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 and death...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

This indoor image shows a woman with long brown hair streaked with gray. She has she holds hands up cupping her face in grief. Her vace is completely hidden

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...

This indoor image shows an open door in the background with a large plant barely in view. In the foreground is a young mane with dark hair and a beard and wearing a white short-sleeved shirt standing over an older man feeling his forehead. The older man is Black. He has gray hair and is lying in bed. We see his pajama-clad arm laying on top of the white sheet.

Breaking the News That a Loved One is Going on Hospice Care

When the paperwork was finally signed to get hospice care for my dad, I was grateful. There would now be a routine of care...

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 her current...