Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

Common Caregiver Confessions (We’re Human)

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a family caregiver who never gets frustrated and is an eternal optimist? Maybe there are some...

This image has a gray indoor backdrop. IN the foreground, a woman with long, light brown hair bends her had forward where she covers her face with her hands. She has light skin and red polished nails.

Tips to Cope With Dementia Caregiver Burnout

You watch your once mentally sharp loved one decline before your eyes. Their uncontrollable behaviors, mood swings, outbursts, confusion and memory loss...

This outdoor image shows summer trees and sky in the background on a city street. In the foreground we see an older couple riding bikes. On the left is a woman with short gray hair wearing a light blue Henley top. Slghtly behind her on the right is a man with gray hair wearing a pink golf shirt. Both are smiling as they enjoy their outing.

Dating and Caregiving: An Impossible Mix?

Back when you were in high school, you likely found that bringing your new love home to meet your parents was a...

The background is a plain white wall. In the foreground, we see a closeup of the lower portin of an older man's face. We see his ears and white mustache. He's weraring a gray/beighe sweater and his is hands resting on top of a cane hanles held in front of him as he sites. One hand is on top of the straight cane handle and his other hand is clasped on top of it.

Detaching With Love: Setting Boundaries with Difficult Older Parents

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

The image shows a closeup of a man with brown hair wearing a beige tee shirt. Heis face wears a bemused expression with raised eyebrows, blue eyes wide open, and mouth showing puzzlement.

Top Excuses from Siblings Who Don’t Help with Caregiving

Unfair as it may seem, even in families with many adult children, one sibling usually becomes the primary caregiver for their aging...

An older woman is sitting in an easy chair but leaning slightly forward and to her right side. She has short steel-gray hair with whispy bangs, grazing her forehead. Her expression is annoyed, as she holds her hands over her ears. has an annoyed expression

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...

A younger woman sits to besides an older amn as whe trieds to comoft him. She has one hand on his shoulder as she learns forward talking to him. She wears a tan cardigan and white slacks. The man has his face buried in his hands, but we see the top of his head which has gray hair. He's wearing a navy blue cardigan over a lighter blue shirt.

Consistency In Caregiving Staff Ideal but We Must Manage Expectations

Dear Carol: My dad lives in a memory care facility, and overall, I’d give them good ratings. We’re blessed to find such...

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.

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,...

this indoor image has a blurred background. IN the foreground we see a man with clipped brown hair and a receeding hairline who wears a cream golf-style shirt with some muted stripes. He has brown skin. He wears an unhappy frown and he looks slightly toward the side.

How to Cope w ith 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...

Two younger adults facing each other arguing and pointing fingers. Both the man and woman are likely Asian descent. The man wears a dark gray tee shirt and the woman wear a dark gray elbow length top

How to Handle Siblings in Denial About a Parent’s Declining Health

Nearly all family caregivers with siblings have experienced some version of sibling denial regarding their aging parents. Whether it stems from a...