Family

This outdoor image shows a spring tree flowering in the background against a blue sky. In the foreground, we see two women. Oe has long redish hair. Shes' wearing a black sweater and hs her head tilted back and to the said as she kisses a younger woman on the cheek. The younger woman is looking to the side but also up a little. She has longish light-brown hair and is smiling.

Am I a Caregiver? Defining the Family Caregiver Role

Many individuals struggle to accept the label of “family caregiver,” but fully embracing this role increases our chances of succeeding in it. What Is...

Honor Your Elders’ Need for Independence

Although we may not think about it in these terms very often, a person’s dignity and identity are often tied to their independence. As...

Why So Many Long-Married Couples Die Close Together

While death rarely brings pleasant feelings, from time to time we’ll see a story about death go viral on the Internet because it touches...

This image is the cover of "Bringing Art to Life" by Daniel Potts. Close up on the left, we see a bright yellow sphere, with orage on top. Further down is more yellow with splotches of color on the left. The sphere could be a hat or a paint pallet. The cover art is slightly abstractt.

Dementia Can Open the Door to Artistic Expression

The treatment of people with dementia has changed dramatically since I first became personally involved with the disease. It’s now widely recognized that while...

This image has a black background. In the foreground we see an older woman on the left with long gray, flowing hair. She's wearing a black and white print sleeveless dress. With her eyes closed, she's holding her cheek out toward a younger woman who is kissing it. the younger woman has dark hair and is wearing a black and white striped open-collared shirt. both women have medium toned skin.

Caregiver Upset by Lack of Clarification Regarding Medical Terms

Dear Carol: I’m frustrated with medical people who think family caregivers should automatically understand their abbreviated terms. At appointments, my mom’s doctor asks about...

Multi-generational Households: The Ins and Outs of In-law Suites

When I was a teenager, my parents had a new home specifically built with separate quarters so my grandmother could live with us and...

How to Support a Friend Who Has a Chronic Illness

Living with a chronic illness, such as cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, or an immune disorder, can be isolating and...

This image shows the inside of a optometrist's office. An older man is sitting in the exam chair. He wears a suit and tied, both charcoal, with a white shirt. We see his white, well-trimmed mustache and beard and somewhat receding hairline. His eyes are covered by the ocular testing lens doctors use.

How to Make Life Easier and Safer for Seniors with Low Vision

Many people would consider losing their eyesight one of the worst losses they could endure. While most of us will not suffer from complete...

This outdoor image shows a blurred background of sky and greenery. In the foreground, we see a woman with shoulder-length medium blonde hair, slightly curled on the ends. She has light skin and eyes and is smiling softly as she looks slighly off to the side of the camera.

Loving Yourself: A Caregiver’s Ultimate Challenge

We’ve all heard that we must first learn to love ourselves before we can love others. Yet, many of us have grown up with...

This indoor image shows a window through which we see blurred trees. Close up, a woman with a dark blod, low ponytail and light skin leans her forehead head against her hand. She's wearing a dark blue short-seepver shirt and we see a drinking glass off to the side with a bottle barely visible.

Caring For Those in Chronic Pain: How Spouses Cope

Traditional marriage vows generally contain the words “through sickness and in health.” For some couples, chronic sickness in the form of a painful disease...