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...
Grief
When One Parent Dies, the Other Often Needs a Long-Term Care Plan
Long-term marriages generally evolve into a support system so efficient that even adult children hardly notice changes in their parents. If Dad’s...
When Loved Ones Rally Before Death
Family members are often relieved and hopeful when a dying loved one suddenly becomes more aware of their surroundings or begins talking...
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...
You Can’t Prevent Parents’ Decline from Age, but Your Support Is Priceless
Dear Carol: Providing care for my parents is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s not so much the time and effort involved,...
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...
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?’ “...
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...
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...
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...
