Journaling for Caregivers: Rediscover Yourself
At some point during your caregiving journey, you may find yourself in a rut. The awareness may come with a birthday, a...
Grief
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...
Hospital Delirium: Cognitive Decline After Hospitalization
Note: While more is known now about hospital delirium, there is still not enough done to prevent hospital delirium or quickly treat...
Hindsight Can Be a Blessing or a Curse for Caregivers
They say hindsight is 20/20. But things from the past that may seem “clear” to you now can still be distorted by...
Making It Through Holidays with Grief and Loss in Our Hearts
Dear Carol: I’m a new widow dreading all the Christmas hoopla and yearly optimism of a New Year. Planning Christmas presents for...
Common Caregiver Thoughts We Aren’t Proud Of
Wouldn’t it be nice to be a family caregiver who never gets frustrated and is an eternal optimist? Maybe there are some...
Having ‘The Talk’: How to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Parents
Sex and death: It’s odd that these two topics of conversation should bring so much anxiety to parents and children. One addresses...
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...
Is It Normal to Grieve long 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...
