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...
Death and dying
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...
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...
Caregiver Guilt: How We Second-Guess Our Impossible Choices
…A dying aunt; a budding son: My aunt Marion, who had no children of her own, was in the hospital dying of cancer. While...
Hospice Care: Help During 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 put my...
