Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

This indoor shot shows an older woman with olive skin and very short, spikey white hair. She's wearing brown-rimmed glasses and a blue print top with a red apron over it. Her expression is one that could be read as accusatory.

Losing the Ability to Swallow: How to Help Someone With Dysphagia

Coping with an ill loved one’s difficulty swallowing can be frustrating and frightening for everyone involved. Caring for someone we love means...

We see two middle-aged adults sitting at a distance on a couch, clearing aging. The woman on the left had her head turned away. She has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a white shirt. Her arms are folded in defiance. The male on the right also has his head turned away and sits with arms folded. He has brown hair and is wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt.

Siblings’ Focus is on Preserving their Inheritance Over Doing Right

Dear Carol: You’ve heard it all before. I’ve cared for both parents through years of their failing health. After Dad died, I...

Image of Carol Bradley Bursack as she's interviewed by The Retirement Navigator

The Conversation With Your Aging Parents You Keep Avoiding — And Why It Can’t Wait

I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Kwame Kwadey for The Retirement Navigator. It was fun for me because Kwame...

Am I a Caregiver? Defining the Family Caregiver Role

Many individuals struggle to accept the label of “family caregiver,” but fully embracing this role increases our chances of succeeding in it....

This black and white image has a dark background. In the right foreground, we see an older man with short likely graying hair parted on the side, the front grazing his forehead. We see a wrinkled brow and frustrated expression on his face. He appears to be wearing a pull-over sweatshirt with a drawstring.

Honor Your Elders’ Need for Independence and You’ll Both Win

Although we may not think about it in these terms very often, a person’s dignity and identity are often tied to their...

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.

Why So Many Long-Married Couples Die Close Together

While death rarely brings pleasant feelings, from time to time, we’ll see a story about death go viral on the Internet because...

This black and white image shows the top view of a downturned head. Dark hair is pulled back, arms are upraised to forehead. The person wears a hoodie with the hood slightly raised so we only see the head, hands and hoodie.

How to Engage in Self-Care While Grieving

Many caregivers watch their loved ones endure a long, slow decline that will eventually end in death. As they age, we grieve...

This image is the cover of "Bringing Art to Life" by Daniel Potts. Close up on the left, we see a bright yellow sphere, with orage on top. Further down is more yellow with splotches of color on the left. The sphere could be a hat or a paint pallet. The cover art is slightly abstractt.

Dementia Can Open the Door to Artistic Expression

The treatment of people with dementia has changed dramatically since I first became personally involved with the disease. It’s now widely recognized...

This indoor image shows a blurred background with an older mother-daughter in the foreground. The daughter is one the left. She has a blonde bob, wire rimmed glasses, and wears a green sweater. The mother is on the right. She has steel gray hair drawn back and is wearing a dark, collared top. The younger woman has her arm around the older woman's shoulders and they both wear soft smiiles.

Hospice Education Helps Families Understand How to Support Loved One

Dear Carol: My siblings and I are at odds over how to help our 80-year-old mom during her last weeks of life....

A small cottage-like home with white siding is set back in a yard with trees.

Multi-Generational Households: The Ins and Outs of In-law Suites

When I was a teenager, my parents had a new home specifically built with separate quarters so my grandmother could live with...