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,...
End-of-life
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...
“I Promised My Parents I’d Never Put Them in a Care Home”
Caregiving is a job that is full of ups and downs. Many of us take on this role out of love and concern, but...
The Hazards of Alcoholism in the Elderly
Millions of people consume alcohol, but each person has their own unique relationship with this substance. While many are able to drink in moderation...
Minimizing Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia
Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia and death...
Adult Incontinence Rash Happens: How to Prevent It and/or Treat It
Human skin is not meant to withstand close contact with urine-saturated briefs for extended periods of time. When bowel incontinence is also an issue,...
Caregivers: It’s Time to Stop Second-Guessing Ourselves
Like most adults, I’ve second-guessed many of my own decisions. While most were made with my own future in mind, that all changed when...
