Mental Health

Background is a bright blue sky with clouds. An older woman with frizzy white hair is viewed from the back as she sits in a wheelchair looking up at the sky

You’re Not a Terrible Person If You’ve Secretly Wished Your Ill Loved One Could Die

Every so often, someone will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass away. Often, this person is sick, suffering,...

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Accepting Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Hard, Yet Capacity for Joy Remains

Dear Carol: Six months ago, our lives changed when my husband, age 58, was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He has good doctors who...

Older woman with curry gray hair wear a sweater with pink and yellow flowers. She's standing next to a pre-teen grandchild with brown hair, wearing a navy blue shirt.

Should Your Elderly Loved One Move in With You?

Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents...

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...

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Choosing Senior Housing and Care Based on Your Parent’s Needs

As our population ages and more of our national focus is on senior care, we can find ourselves in a muddle over confusing choices....

The rear gate of a truck lowered to the ground and load with moving boxes sealed with red tape. In the background you see a white two story building with many windows that look like appartments.

Specialized Moving Services Ease Transitions to Senior Living Communities

When an aging parent transitions from their home to assisted living, independent living, a nursing home, or a relative’s home, it can be a...

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How Often Should You Visit After Someone Moves to Memory Care?

Dear Carol: My mom is on a waiting list for memory care and should be able to move in soon. I’m struggling to accept...

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A Caregiver’s Struggle: Balancing an Elder’s Sense of Purpose with Their Safety

A recent question brought back memories from my early days of caregiving. The member wrote, “My 81-year-old father still thinks he can do handyman...

Sad woman with long brown hair sitting on the edge of a bed holding her head

Caregiver Guilt: How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Elderly Parents

Get used to it – the guilt, I mean. The incessant phone call thing was just one of the many games I had to...

Woman with long brown hair and glasses in front of a laptop computer. Her frustration shows as she bites down on a pencil placed horizontally in her mouth.

Siblings Who Feel Shut Out of Caregiving

There’s a great deal of anger in the world of family caregiving over siblings who don’t help care for their aging parents. Very often,...