Dementia care

Image shows a younger woman on the right with dark hair and wearing a black and white shirt, kissing an older woman on the cheek. the older woman smiles as she accepts the kiss. She has long gray hair and is wearing a black and white print sleeveless dress dress

Respecting Diverse Approaches to Caregiving

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to caregiving. Every family caregiver must be free to make choices that work best for their unique situation. Even...

Background is parklike with trees and a parking lot. Foreground is a woman with long blonde hair done in a braid that's wrapped around her head. She's holding her face in her hands as though weeping. Her fingernails are polished in a pearl tone and she wears a watch with a wide black strap. She's standing up and she's wearing a black short-sleeved shirt.

Recognizing Caregiver Burnout While It’s Happening

Caregiver burnout isn’t something that happens all at once. We all have good days and bad days, which is normal. Eventually, though, we may...

Image shows an upset woman, shouting at someone. She's wearing a light blue turtleneck sweater, and holding her hands in the air showing her exasperation. She has curly dark hair and brown skin.

Apologizing After Caregiver Stress Causes a Blowup

Caregiving is a stressful job even during the best of times. The sheer amount of responsibility is enough to make the most stoic person...

Balck and white image of a younger person with curly dark hair and wearing a white shirt bending over to kiss an older man on the cheek. The older man is smiling with please. He wears a white shirt and glasses, and is mostly bald.

8 Nearly Universal Truths of Dementia Caregiving

As we travel our own unique journeys, most of us find that certain phrases or concepts take on the status of truth in our...

Older woman with gray hair wears a white, vee necked shirt. She's tugging on a lock of hair by her chin and smiling like she's telling someone what she wants.

Helping vs. Enabling: How to Strike a Balance While Caregiving

Most family caregivers want what is best for their loved ones, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Unfortunately, discerning what’s...

The background is a home with a large window. A caregiver knees on the floor. She is wearing a blue short sleeved shirt and white pants. She holds her hands out enocouragingly to an older soman who is using a walker and moving toward her. The older woman has gray hair and is wearing a long beige sweater.

Family Caregivers Still Undervalued By Many

We live in a society that tends to value what we do over who we are. If what we do isn’t highly paid or...

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Humor Shared Among Caregivers Is Therapeutic

I once visited a caregiver friend and her mother, who had moderate Alzheimer’s disease. At one point during the visit, the mother abruptly stood...

Middle-aged woman sits with jean clad knee drawn up. She's wearing a dark green sweather. One arm is around knew and the other bent up with hand over mouth. Her expression is one of saddness or anxiety.

In Caregiving, Anxiety Can Be Contagious

We all live with a certain amount of worry, much of which is caused by fear of the unknown. Since health issues can change...

A frail looking older adults in a wheelchair, photographed from the side. Their gray hair is short, and more visible than the face which is turned in the other direction. They are wearing a dark brown sweater.

Worried Caregiver Feels Responsible for Frail Dad’s Nutrition

Dear Carol: I’m worried about my dad. He’s been diagnosed with vascular dementia, but he also has heart disease and recently had cancer treatment....

Image background shows a white wall with a window looking out. In front of the widow is a chair with decorator pillows. Froerond shows an older woman with short gray-blonde hair smiling softly, head tilted. She's wearing a soft, light brown pullover, and holding a cane with both hands visible.

Making an Assisted Living Apartment Feel Like Home

While change is difficult for people of all ages, deviating from the status quo seems to become even more taxing as we get older...