Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

Father and daughter sit together looking at images or text on their laptops literally held on their laps. The older man wears jeans and a white long sleeved shirt. The younger woman wears a white top and pants with a black pattern.

Parents’ Neighborhood Changing as Old Friends Move Away

Dear Carol: Like most older adults, my parents want to live out their lives in their home. They’re very healthy for people...

this is a very close image of an older woman with whispy white hair, medium framed plastic rimmed glasses and a serious expression. Her white top is barely visible.

What to Do When a Person with Dementia Repeats the Same Things Over and Over

One sign of the aging brain is repeating things more often, especially stories and questions. There are reasons for this that are...

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.

Are People with Advanced Alzheimer’s Aware of Their Surroundings?

Even among medical experts, you will find differing opinions on how much someone with advanced dementia of any type understands. Alzheimer’s disease...

We see the corner of a sliver laptop computer sitting on a dark wood, rustic table. To the right, we view an open paper day schedule with a smart phone lying on top.

Time Management Strategies for Caregivers

Don’t let the title scare you, folks. I’m not presenting a “system” here. Personally, I’ve never seen a chart or graph designed...

This black and white image shows an older man up close. We see his wrinkled brown, his busy eyebrows, and a side-eye expression . He holds reading glasses lense side down in front of his frowning mouth with one stem pointing upward.

Confabulation in Dementia Can Feel Like Hurtful Lies

When a person develops any form of dementia, it is difficult for family and friends to witness their diminishing capacity and the...

This indoor image has a white drapery in the background. In the foreground, a woman is viewed with her head tipped so we only see the top of her salt an dpepper hair that is drawn back, pus the top of her shoulders. Her arms around around an older man who faces the camera. He has short salt and pepper hair combed foreward, and is laughing gaily as she hugs him. He's wearing an olive shirt.

When a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Doesn’t Recognize You

Watching a loved one move through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be one life’s toughest and most heart-breaking challenges. If...

The background is the exterior of an older brick building. Foreground is an old woman in a flowered hat and contrasting flowered shirt and beige pants slouching in a wheelchair. Her expression is unhappy

Challenging Caregiver Situations Abound: Here are 4

Caregiving throws many challenges our way, including establishing care routines for our elders that are not only challenging, but may be somewhat...

We see a gray-haired woman in a wheelchair from a back view as an attendant in white scrubs lays her hands reassuringly on her shoulders. The woman in the chair wears a dark gray sweater.

You Don’t Stop Being a Caregiver When Your Spouse Enters Memory Care

Dear Carol: My 56-year-old husband recently went into memory care. I visit every morning and often in the evening because, even though...

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...