Self-care

An adult daughter with brown hair and wearing a red dress is showing dancing with an older gray-haired man, likely her father. The background shows lovely spring trees and a gathering that could be in a park.

Spring and Summer Cleaning: How to Refresh Your Caregiving Routine

For many families, spring or early summer is a time to shake off the winter blues, deep clean their homes and focus on getting...

Imagine of book cover for Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. Background is is a room blurred in muted brown tones. Foreground is of the author's father - an older man with dark rimmed glasses looking aside with a pensive expression on his face. Arms folded across chest in a relaxed posture.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Books: Best Reads for Family Caregivers

Note: I was interviewed by A Place for Mom about caregiving books, so I chose just some of my favorites (can’t name them all)....

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,...

Man and woman pointing fingers and yelling at each other. Look like adult siblings with brown hair and slightly Asian features

Adult Siblings Who Care More About Inheritance Than Parents’ 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...

Older man and woman, likely the grandparents, holding baby and toddler on their laps. Both grandparents have gray hair. Woman is wearing a purple sweater and man is wearing a pink shirt.

Balancing Caregiving 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...

In the foreground we see a jumble of clothing, mostly in brown tones with some rush and cream. Behind the mess is a woman in a bulky coat in the same colors. We see some brownish hair on top of her head but her face is buried behind the jumbled clothing.

Rummaging: When People with Dementia Dig Through Drawers or Trash

Dear Carol: I’m struggling. My husband was always super neat, but Alzheimer’s gradually took away his ability to organize even the basics of living....

Older couple, both with white hair, waltzing on the lawn. The woman is weating a blue dress; the man a dark suit

Adult Day Services Can Fill a Gap for Seniors and Their Caregivers

Most seniors are keen on staying in their homes as they age, but family caregivers often struggle to meet their loved ones’ needs and...

Older man with white hair in an outdoor setting looking angry

Caring for Aging Parents Who Didn’t Care for You

Years ago, a journalist (we’ll call her Nancy) requested an interview with me to discuss common caregiving issues for an article she was writing....

Older woman in orange and black ruffled dress looking annoyed as younger woman in white top and hoop earrings kisses her cheek

Caregivers Can Celebrate Mother’s Day With Forgiveness

Nearly any of us who are mothers have wanted to be a perfect example of motherhood. Yet, the reality is, that since we are...

A Self-Help Approach to Coping with Caregiver Stress

Caregiving can bring forth an ever-changing kaleidoscope of emotions. These feelings are often bittersweet, but without the proper preparations and assistance, things can quickly...