End-of-life

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Universal Phrases for That Help Caregivers Find Serenity

Life isn’t easy for most people, and it’s not perfect for anybody. Sometimes, as we trudge through the days providing help for our care...

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Delirium After an Older Adult’s Hospitalization Is a Legitimate Concern

Dear Carol: My 95-year-old mom was recently hospitalized for pneumonia. While there, she developed delirium and didn’t even know the family. The hospital staff...

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Relief Mixed with Grief Normal After a Suffering Loved One’s Death

Dear Carol: My mom died after five years of living with dementia symptoms along with decades of pain from rheumatoid arthritis. Her death has...

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How To Get People With Dementia To Take Pills

Dementia care demands incredible creativity. The ever-changing needs of the person who has dementia challenge family caregivers and professionals alike. One particular frustration is...

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Grief: The Way to Continue On Is to Work Through It

Dr. Gail Gross, Ph.D., doctor of education, is a nationally recognized family, child development, and human behavior expert, author, and educator. She has contributed...

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...

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Making It Through Holidays with Grief and Loss in Our Hearts

Dear Carol: I’m a new widow dreading all the Christmas hoopla and yearly optimism of a New Year. Planning Christmas presents for my grandkids...

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When a Caregiver Secretly Wishes It Would All End

Most caregivers are decent folks who care deeply about their elderly parents, spouses, and other loved ones who require their assistance. As so many...