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...
Death and dying
Caregiving: A Legacy To Be Proud Of
Have you thought about what you’d want your obituary to say about you? I hadn’t until I was recently asked to write...
Elders Who Abuse Their Family Caregivers
Most of us have seen evidence of people being harder on those they love than they are on strangers, or even people...
How to Survive Caring for Multiple Elders at the Same Time
Each of our aging parents is unique. Some people age so well that they need little help until they are well into...
Breathe: Calming Someone with Dementia Starts with Calming Yourself
Dear Carol: I need tips on how to calm my husband who has been diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. In...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
