Tips to Beat Caregiver Holiday Blues
When store employees wish us Merry Christmas we smile back and return the greeting. When acquaintances wave and shout Happy Holidays across a parking...
End-of-life
Mom with Dementia Begs to Go Home: How to Help
Dear Carol: I take care of my 93-year-old mother in my home. Mom’s been physically frail for years, yet until recently, she’s remained cognitively...
How to Get Over Feelings That Prevent You from Visiting People in Care Homes and Hospitals
People cite numerous reasons for why they hate visiting nursing homes. Some can’t stand funky smells, others find the sight of disengaged, listless seniors...
A Common Caregiver Confession: “I Secretly Wish My Ill Loved One Would Die”
Every so often, someone on the AgingCare Caregiver Forum will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass away. Often,...
When a Person with Dementia Says, ‘I Just Want to Go Home’
Note: This is an older article that’s still valid, so I’m running it. However, dementia experts keep learning, and the thinking now is that...
Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?
Just last week a reader asked me whether she should try to sway her mother, who had colon cancer, toward surgery. Her mother, 87,...
The Emotional Toll of Moving Your Elderly Parent to Senior Living
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. For most of us, the feeling is less about how large or fancy a...
Having “The Talk”: How to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Parents
Sex and death: It’s odd that these two topics of conversation should bring so much anxiety to parents and children. One addresses the beginning...
What to Do When Siblings Can’t Agree on a Parent’s Care Needs
For some lucky families, having all adult siblings gather around and plan how to take care of Mom and Dad as their parents’ health...
How to Communicate with Someone Who Can No Longer Speak
Years ago, I stumbled upon a video that remains vivid in my mind. In it, an elderly couple who had spent a lifetime devoted...
