7 Pitfalls to Avoid When Visiting Someone with Dementia
Whether you’re caring for someone with dementia or visiting them from time to time you’ll want to do your best to make them feel...
Death and dying
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 of care...
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 an article...
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 they don’t...
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 their eighties,...
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 the past,...
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...
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 every mental...
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...
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 years ended....
