Guilt

Image shows woman with light brown hair drawn into a ponytail. Her head bends forward, showing forehead in her hand. Elbow is on the table, with a water glass nearby. She wears a blue, short-sleeved shirt. The image is one of profound sadness.

Coping With the Decision to Put Your Parent in a Care Facility

Guilt is one emotion that every family caregiver will experience at some point during their journey. When you take on responsibility for another person,...

Image shows blurred dark alter or table. ON tip are rows of votive candle holders, some with lit candles and some empty. We see a total of five flames, three in back and two in the foregroud.

Mixed Emotions: Grief and Relief When the Loved One You Cared for Dies

When my mother died in a local nursing home, my “career” of visiting this exceptional facility nearly every day for almost 15 years ended....

Woman with long, graying hair in braids is wearing a gray sweater. Her hands are held palms open and up, out in front as if trying to explain something.

4 Challenging Caregiver Situations Many Caregivers Face

Caregiving throws many challenges our way, including establishing care routines for our elders that are not only challenging but may be somewhat embarrassing. By...

Image shows woman, face looking down with eyes squeezed shut due to frustration. Hands are on her head in her brown hair. She's wearing a black tweed sweater that shows on her forearms.

Common Thoughts That Embarrass Caregivers and Induce Guilt

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a family caregiver who never gets frustrated and is an eternal optimist? Maybe there are some like that...

Old woman with glasses wearing a huge sombrero type straw hat colored with orange, yellow, and red circles. Her expression is bemused and slightly confused.

Far Too Many People Still Attach a Stigma to Illnesses That Cause Dementia

Anyone who has cared for a disabled child or has a visible disability of their own knows this. However, people who care for an...

Very old woman with silver streaked hair, darker sun-damaged and wrinkled skin. She's wearing a black and white check vest over a blue shirt. Pleading eyes looking up at someone.

When a Person Living with Dementia Says, ‘I Just Want to Go Home’

Update: Some current thinking is that the emotion behind this sad lament is more about finding a level of emotional comfort than thinking back...

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...

14 Phrases for Caregivers to Cling To

Life isn’t easy for most people, and it’s not perfect for anybody. Sometimes, as we trudge through the days providing help for our care...

Life As a Caregiver: How to Make Tough Care Decisions

Many of us feel honored to provide care for our aging parents or ill spouses, but this honor can also present serious challenges. Even...

Hindsight Can Be a Blessing or a Curse for Caregivers

They say hindsight is 20/20. But things from the past that may seem “clear” to you now can still be distorted by difficult emotions—especially...