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 hearing is...
Death and dying
Hospital Delirium: Cognitive Decline After Hospitalization
In the expected course of treatment, people are hospitalized because they are ill. Then, barring a terminal condition, they are released because they are...
Former Caregiver Wants to Ease Future Caregiving Stress for Her Kids
Dear Carol: For years, I read your column as a caregiver for my mom who was in her nineties. Since her death, I’ve continued to...
Father’s Day As a Caregiver: Remembering Dad Before Dementia
This Father’s Day I’ll have fond memories of my dad, as will many caregivers and adult children. The juxtaposition of the past and present...
A Common Caregiver Confession: “I Secretly Wish My Ill Loved One Would Die”
…Most caregivers would have been devastated by the death of their loved ones before they took on this role. But when a care recipient...
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 difficult emotions—especially...
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 the beginning...
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...
When a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Doesn’t Recognize You
Watching a loved one move through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be one of life’s toughest and most heart-breaking challenges. If we...
Coping with the Stigma of Dementia
People stare. Most are not unkind, they are just curious. But when someone “different” from the norm becomes part of their environment, they often...
