End-of-life

The closeup image only shows the torsos of the people. ON the left is a medical person with a purpose sthoscope around their neck. The person is holding their arm bent and hand out to support a women show is weraing a red and white checked, long-sleeved blouose. She has her hand clasped over the supporting person's wrist.

Confusion About Palliative Services Vs. Hospice Care Is Understandable

Dear Carol: After caring for my mom for years, I moved her to memory care due to her dementia. At 93, she is fading....

The image has a dark indoor background. In the foreground is an older woman with darker, wrinkled sking and very short white hair. She's wearing brown rimmed glasses and a top that has blue and white sleeves and trim with a deep red vest like shoulder. Her expression shows her eyes turning left and her mouth as if she's speaking bitter words.

Caring for Aging Parents Who Didn’t Care for You

Years ago, a journalist (we’ll call her Nancy) requested an interview with me to discuss common caregiving issues for an article she was writing....

Image shows a younger man with dark hair and a trimmed beard. His eldows are resting on a table, with his hands folded in fron of his mouth. He's leaning into his hands with his eyes closed, as if thinking hard or praying.

Caregiver Guilt: How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Aging Parents

Get used to it – the guilt, I mean. The incessant phone call thing was just one of the many games I had to...

An older man sitts on the left, looking at a younger woman who is smiling at him as if explaining something. The man has gray hair and is wearing a beige shirt. The woman has long brown hair tied in a low ponytail. She's wearing blue scrubs and has a stethoscope around her neck.

Hospice Care: Help During End Stages of Life

One day while I was working at my newspaper job, the phone rang. It was the head nurse at Dad’s nursing home. “Carol, we...

image shows closeup of the interior stringed instrument. The wood is golden in color.

Music-Thanatology: Providing Harmony at the End of Life

The mission of hospice providers is to help people live their last months or weeks of life in the most comfortable, dignified and satisfying...

Image shows an older woman with short gray hair and dark-rimmed glasses using an inhaler. She's wearing an orange hoodie.

Losing the Ability to Swallow: How to Help Someone With Dysphagia

Coping with an ill loved one’s difficulty swallowing can be frustrating and frightening for everyone involved. Caring for someone we love means nurturing and...

Image shows a closeup of an older man's face. He's lying back on a pillow and appears to be talking with someone. He has salt-and-pepper hair and a receding hairline and wears dark-rimmed glasses.

When Loved Ones Rally Before Death

Family members are often relieved and hopeful when a dying loved one suddenly becomes more aware of their surroundings or begins talking or eating...

An indoor image shows a white-tiled kitchen in the background. The foreground, an older woman with chin-length salt and pepper hair and a pink sleeveless shirt, stirring something at the stove. She is wearing gray wire-rimmed glasses.

Caregiver Questions Reason for Lab Work When Mother Doesn’t Want Treatment

Dear Carol: I’ve been helping my 84-year-old mom with her medications and doctor appointments. She’s made it plain that she doesn’t want any more...

Cover of the book Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.

Interview: Assisted living facilities vs. nursing homes: What to know about cost and care

I’m honored to be featured with Anthony Cirillo, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and president of The Aging Experience, in...