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...
Death and dying
Mixed Emotions: Grief and 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...
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...
Admitting Loved One to Hospice Is Emotional, but Understanding Process Helps
Dear Carol: I’m crushed and uncertain how to move forward. My wife, 74, has spent years battling cancer with some success and...
Coping with Alzheimer’s Caregiver Burnout
You watch your once mentally sharp loved one decline before your eyes. Their uncontrollable behaviors, mood swings, outbursts, confusion, and memory loss...
You’re Not a Terrible Person If You’ve Secretly Wished Your Ill Loved One Could Die
Every so often, someone will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass away. Often, this person is...
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?’ “...
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...
Family Disagrees about Moving Widowed Mom Weeks After Husband’s Death
Dear Carol: Dad died two weeks ago at 89 years of age. Mom is 87 and has what they think is early-stage...
Ways to Minimize 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...
