Relationships

This image shows a cluttered garage. In the center is an old turquoise Volkswagen beetle with rusty bumpers and trim.

How Do I Get Dad Out of His Cluttered, Unsafe Home?

People want to stay in their own homes. You hear it and read about it all the time. And there’s some merit to that....

This image has a blurred outdoor background indicating trees and sky. In the foreground, we see an older woman with dullt died brown hair wearing a gardening apron. She is holding the brim of a gardening hat to the back of her head as she smiles at the camera.

“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...

This indoor image shows a woman who looks to be of middle eastern heritage. She's got shoulder length black hair and is wearting a turquoise paisley top and turquoise enhanced necklace. Her expression is one of puzzlement.

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...

This image has a black background. IN the foreground, we see two women, one clearly the mother, the other the daughter. The older woman has very long whiteish hair hanging down her back. She wears a sleeveless dress that has a black background and white dots. She holds her cheek out to be kissed by the younger woman who is wearhing a black and white striped shirt. She has dark brown curly hair and both have eddium toned skin. They look content.

Did Your Mother Really Know Best?

Witnessing our parents’ aging process can be uncomfortable. Some people consider the pain so unbearable that they find reasons to be angry with their parents....

How Caregiving Can Help Us Rethink the Meaning of Motherhood

To me, the definition of a mother is someone who nurtures. Yes, carrying a child in your womb for months and then giving birth...

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...

Needing a Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gift? How About One That’s Both Fun and Meaningful?

Gift giving for older adults can feel complicated, but it needn’t be. KOSMOS Gifts offers legacy time capsules that intrigue me. The gift recipient...

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...

This outdoor image shows a park in the background with people milling around. IN the foreground, we see an older man with thinning gray hair wearing a gray sweater vest over a long sleeved shirt. He is dancing with a younger woman who has shoulder length, curly brown hair. Shes' wearing a read top. They appear to be related.

Adult Daughter Upset that Dad Doesn’t Take Pre-Diabetes Seriously

Dear Carol: My 69-year-old father is overweight, sedentary, and he loves junk food. There’s no point in nagging him about his poor lifestyle choices...