Mental Health

How to Handle Controlling Elderly Parents

The responsibility of providing care for an aging or ill loved one is a monumental challenge in its own right. But when a care...

This summery image shows a group of summer trees in the background. In the foreground, we see a late-middle aged could seated together with the man's arm around the womans waist. Both a smiling broadly as if in a group of people who've made them laugh. The woman has curly, modern white hair and is wearing a denium button-down shirt, open at the color. The man has a receding hairline, gray hair, and is wearing a white golf shirt.

More Severe than Burnout, Compassion Fatigue is a Danger for Long-term Caregivers

Dear Carol: My parents and in-laws all lived to be very old, with years of physical and cognitive decline. I willingly cared for them...

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“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...

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What to Do When a Senior Refuses to Bathe and Change Their Clothes

When it comes to caring for the elderly, hygiene issues are surprisingly common. Determining why their bathing habits have changed is the best way...

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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...

Is Lying to Someone with Dementia Unethical or Compassionate?

Dear Carol: Like many of your readers, my husband has dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, and I’m caring for him at home. We’ve always...

This indoor picture shows a white wall in the background. In the foreground, a woman with very long brown hair lifts her arms from the elbow with hands palm up in exasperation. Her angry expression shows her with an open mouth and squinted eyes, head bent downard so we biew alomes from the top. She wears a simple gray tank top.

Some Adult Siblings Care More About Their Inheritance Than Mom and Dad’s Care

“We don’t want strangers taking care of Mom!” “We promised Dad he would never have to go to a nursing home!” “If you really...

This image shows a multi-generational family walking joyfully down a country road. We see evergreens in the near background and other trees further back. The family in fore ground shows an adult male wiht dark skin wiearing an oversided white tee, a blue palid open flanner, jeans ad boots. He hold the uprased hand of a child who ears an orange lon-sleeved sweather dark blue scarf around shoulders, light blue jeans and boots. The child holds the other hand up to grabe the hand of a oman with long dark curly hair, a brown and white plaid, pullover sweater, jeans and boots. Behind them all is an older, white haired man wearing a brown jacket open over a blue shirt. He also wears jeans but with casual trainers.

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...

This image shows a gate to an outdoor garden. The wrought iron gate is turquoise. In for foreground, we see an older couple with the woman standing beside her seated husband who holds a decorative wood cane uplifted against his chest. Both of them have short white hair, medium toned skin, and sober expressions. The woman wears a black and white narrow striped dress with a back collar. Her arm rests outward against the chair back behind the man. The man wears a plaid flannel garment buttoned mid- hest with a barely visible gray tee shirt under it.

Should You Convince Your Aging Parents to Move Closer to You?

As a columnist for a newspaper on the northern plains, I often have readers write me that they are begging their parents to “come...

An older couple is shown against a white background. They are both smiling. The woman has shorter brown, curly hair, and is wearing white, short-sleeve top. She holds her arm upward, so we see a bold bracelet. An older mane claps her hand from the back. He is wearing a white tee shirt and a small gold chair, plus a gold watch on his upraised arm. He wears dark wire-rimmed glasses, a trimmed beard and has thick but trimmed white hair.

How to Keep Seniors Active and Engaged

I recently spoke with a caregiver named Ann who was struggling with how to adapt to life as a caregiver. For the last several...