Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

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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 often to...

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Coping with Alzheimer’s Caregiver Burnout

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

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Siblings Who Don’t Help with Caregiving Have Several Excuses

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

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The Process of Convincing Your Parent to Move to Indepent Living

Aging In Place vs. Assisted Living: Professional in-home care and a medical alert system are sufficient for some seniors to remain at home safely...

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Happy Independence Day!

Wishing everyone a safe and fun Fourth of July! Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. Darlene Fuchs, Author of Get in the...

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Far Too Many People Still Attach a Stigma to Illnesses That Cause Dementia

Anyone who has cared for a disabled child or has a visible disability of their own knows this. However, people who care for an...

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Some People Aren’t Happy Unless They Complain. How to Cope with an Older Adult’s Negativity

Some Seniors Are Prone to Chronic Complaining: If an aging loved one has always been abrasive, complaining may be the only way they know...

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Adult Siblings Are Often in Denial About a Parent’s Declining Health

Whether it stems from a subconscious need to ignore the fact that a parent is declining, or they want to pretend that caring for...

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Potential Causes of Skin Picking with Dementia and How to Help

Dear Carol: My mom is in mid-stage Alzheimer’s, so she has fidgety hands. Even though I lotion her skin regularly, she’ll zero in on...

The Sacrifices of Caregiving: Yes They Are Real

The plain truth is that assuming the responsibility of caring for another person dramatically alters one’s life. This change can happen abruptly or it...