Relationships

10 Common Caregiver Confessions

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...

Detaching With Love: Setting Boundaries With Difficult Elderly Parents

When the family member we are trying to care for is critical, impossible to please or emotionally abusive, long-standing family dynamics are often to...

It’s Christmas Day: Are You Enjoying It?

Many people are celebrating Christmas Day, today, December 25th. Caregivers might find the word celebrating a little over the top but try not to...

Christmas Is Here: Our Best Is Good Enough

The decisions caregivers of older loved ones must make during the Christmas holidays are fraught with opportunities to make mistakes in judgment. Chief among...

Imperfection Is Perfect: Cherish Your Messy Christmas as Unique and Precious

I’m swamped with daily life let alone carrying out holiday traditions. My dad is in memory care…

How to Convince Your Parent to Move to Assisted Living

Conventional wisdom says that we all want to stay in our own homes for as long as we can. That is likely how most...

Coping with the Stigma of Dementia

People stare. Most are not unkind; they are just curious. But when someone “different” from the norm becomes part of their environment, they often...

How to Cope with an Older Adult’s Complaining and Negativity

You took your mom to the doctor, and she’s upset with you because the appointment took too long. You helped Dad with the yardwork,...

Tips to Beat Caregiver Holiday Blues

When store employees wish us Merry Christmas we smile back and return the greeting. When acquaintances wave and shout Happy Holidays across a parking...