Caregiving requires sacrifice. We sacrifice our time, sometimes our careers, and too often our health, as we care for someone else who is aging and/or ill. It can be disheartening to work so hard to build a life and then put our dreams on hold or watch parts of our lives unravel due to a […]
Caring for aging parents is tough. Raising children is tough. And when you’re caring for both at the same time, well that’s a whole other level of challenging. According to an AARP report 44 percent of women ages 45 to 55 are in the difficult position of caring for at least one parent and one […]
Did you just get “the call?” Maybe your life was moving along at its usual hectic pace and then the phone rang letting you know your elderly parent is sick or fell or was rushed to the hospital. Or maybe you are a seasoned caregiver. You’ve been on the receiving end of that call before […]
Caregiving guilt is real and it’s fueled by caregiver shaming. After Ann Brenoff published, “No, Caregiving Is NOT Rewarding. It Simply Sucks,” on the Huffington Post, in which she said of some caregiving-related tasks, “But while I can handle all of that, what I can’t handle is some brochure telling me that I am embarking […]
Elderly fall prevention is a key concern for caregivers. Those of us who’ve witnessed the effect of a fall firsthand can tell you, it can be life altering for our parents when they fall. Click here to read what you can do do to lessen the chance the person you care for will fall. And […]
Dementia usually refers to a cognitive/mental decline that interferes with a person’s daily activities and prevents them from leading a normal life. Dementia is not just a particular disease but in fact covers a wide array of symptoms such as impaired memory, communication, and thinking. Millions of individuals in the United States have various forms […]
If you know my story, you know Twizzlers, Diet Coke and wine are part of my personal history. In 2014, my life went haywire. Over the course of three weeks that summer, I admitted my father to the hospital, placed my mother in respite care so she wouldn’t be alone, was told my father had […]
I recently surveyed working daughters about what causes them stress and where they would like more support as a caregiver. The number one answer to the question, “With what would you like more help?” was “taking care of myself while caregiving.” Self Care for Caregivers Self care for caregivers isn’t something we can address […]
President Obama, speaking about the spate of recent violence our country has experienced, said, “What I hope is that my voice has tried to get all of us as Americans to understand the difficult legacy of race. If my voice has been true, and positive, then my hope would be that it may not fix […]
Working daughters often tell me they feel selfish when they take time to take care of themselves. Their elderly parent needs so much, how can they possibly put their own needs first? After all, they are not the ones who are failing, or sick, or struggling. Actually, many of them are. It’s just that the […]
I took my Dad to the emergency room yesterday. You would think I would know better. I made some rookie mistakes but at least it was a good reminder about what we need to prepare for when caring for an elderly parent. My 90-year old father fell in his apartment Friday night. I happened to […]
Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I plan to take my father for a walk and lunch at one of his favorite places, a place his father took him, and that he took me, and my sisters, so many times. The place is abundant with memories – those of the men who built a fort there in the […]
