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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 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 black and white image has a plain dark background. In the foreground is an older African American woman with curly white hair. Whe's got her eyes closed and is wearing a sad expression, with her head tilted upward. She's wearing a light colored print top.

How to Talk About a Friend’s Death When Someone Has Dementia

A friend recently faced the task of letting her mother, who has mid-level dementia, know that the mother’s elderly brother had died. This death...

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....

A Story from the Sandwich Generation: Caring for Kids and Parents

Watching out for elders has always come naturally to me. I grew up close to my grandparents, and during my teenage years, my paternal...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

Should You Join Someone With Dementia in Their Reality?

It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the...

This indoor picture has a mottled gray background. IN the forground is a head and shourlders image of an older man with a receding hairline and gray hair. He's wearing a black sweater and his eyes are turned downward in a thoughtful expression.

How Dementia Affects Friendships (and What You Can About It)

Memory loss can be one of the first symptoms a person experiences with Alzheimer’s, and those living with Lewy body dementia may also become...

The Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

The only certainty when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is that a senior’s condition will progressively worsen. The National Alzheimer’s Association has developed a very...