Solo Agers: Adults Without Close Kin Seek Outside Resources to Manage Future Care
Dear Carol: I’m a 73-year-old widower with no children or close relatives. I’m still healthy, but to be prudent, I need to...
Minding Our Elders
Father’s Day as a Caregiver: Remembering Dad Before Dementia
This Father’s Day, I’ll have fond memories of my dad, as will many caregivers and adult children. The juxtaposition of the past...
Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Your Attention
Our aging loved ones often repeat the same stories over and over again. As our patience wanes, we blame the repetition on memory...
8 Truths of Dementia Caregiving
As we travel our own unique journeys, most of us find that certain phrases or concepts take on the status of truth...
Older Adults Have Different Criteria When Deciding How to Approach Cancer
Dear Carol: My Dad was diagnosed with non-aggressive prostate cancer. In the past, he’s been proactive about his health, but now he’s...
How to Communicate with Someone Who Can No Longer Speak
Years ago, I stumbled upon a video that remains vivid in my mind. In it, an elderly couple who had spent a...
Caregivers, I’m here to tell you that you are incredible. You are enough.
Caring for a vulnerable person is daunting. We have to make decisions for them that are often a matter of quality of...
When Your Spouse or Parent with Alzheimer’s No Longer Recognizes You
Dear Carol: After decades together, my wife no longer recognizes me. She’s been living with Alzheimer’s for nearly ten years, so this is...
Humor Can Protect Caregivers’ Hearts from Their Deepest Sorrows
One of the positive parts of being a family caregiver is the opportunity for emotional growth. We can develop increased compassion, patience,...
Consider Palliative Care for Parent with Multiple Health Challenges
Dear Carol: I want so badly to help my mom have as good a life as possible during her last years, yet...
