Family

A New Generation of Caregivers: Grandchildren Taking Care of Grandparents

Family and household composition have changed a great deal over recent decades. Many of these young caregivers have lived with or been raised by...

Breathe: Calming Someone with Dementia Starts with Calming Yourself

Dear Carol: I need tips on how to calm my husband who has been diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. In the past,...

Respecting the Right to Age with Dignity

The impact of aging frequently makes the news. Sadly, the coverage is consistently negative, and all facets of this topic are portrayed as “problems” that...

What Is Parentification and How Does It Relate to Role Reversal?

I was pleased to see one on my articles referenced in this excellent piece about the relationship between aging parents and their adult children...

Hospital Delirium: Cognitive Decline After Hospitalization

In the expected course of treatment, people are hospitalized because they are ill. Then, barring a terminal condition, they are released because they are...

How to Engage in Self-Care While Grieving

Many caregivers watch their loved ones endure a long, slow decline that will eventually end in death. As they age, we grieve every mental...

Balancing Elder Care with Other Relationships

Becoming a family caregiver is often something that either happens very suddenly or slowly sneaks up on a person. When a loved one has...

When One Parent Dies the Other Often Needs a Long-Term Care Plan

Long-term marriages generally evolve into a support system so efficient that even adult children hardly notice changes in their parents. If Dad’s hearing is...