Supporting all who care for elders
“I feel like I’m looking for an angel with a halo and wings. Or maybe a whole chorus of angels, because one definitely won’t do.” A week earlier… Abby felt overwhelmed as she looked at the many notes she had spread across the dining room table. Mom would be returning home from […]
Advice About What to Look For in a Caregiver Read More »
It began with a fall. Abby got the call at work and rushed to the hospital to meet the ambulance that brought her mother there. Mom had gone out to take the garbage to the curb and had slipped on some black ice. The kids had all left for school and the street was deserted,
Finding the Care You Need to Stay in Your Home Read More »
As a fiction writer, one of the skills I’ve developed is to get inside my characters’ heads and hearts. I need to feel what they are feeling and then spill that onto the page in ways that draw my reader in. That’s what makes today’s blog so difficult to write.
How to Deal with a Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Dementia Read More »
There are words whose spelling trips me up every single time. It’s like I have a mental block about them, and it drives me nuts. Why can’t I learn them and put this behind me? Diarrhea. Nutrition.
When Should I Worry? When Forgetfulness Becomes a Problem Read More »
Can you relate? You open the fridge door and stare inside, searching for a clue. You came in the kitchen for something, and you think it’s in the fridge, but what was it? You look everywhere for your phone, only to find it in the pocket of the jacket you’re wearing. You hear yourself saying,
How to Remember When You Are Prone to Forget Read More »
I hate my walker. When I had my first hip replacement five years ago, I was able to leave my walker behind after about six weeks and use only my cane. But time and arthritis creeping into other parts of my body made it different this time. At five months in, I am still using
When Unexpected Support Brings Joy to Caregivers Read More »
Help wanted! I stood staring down the basement stairs. A few weeks post hip replacement, and I’d had wonderful support. A friend came to stay with me for the first week, family kept in touch, and I was getting around and beginning to do things for myself. Except the laundry. My laundry room sat in
Valuable Resources to Help With Your Caregiver Journey Read More »
“It takes a village to raise a child.” African proverb Care partners need a village, too. A group of sometimes unrelated people who in ways, big or small, pour into their elder. I can hear you. “Yes, that sounds lovely. But I have no village. There’s only me.” That’s a recipe for disaster. This month,
How to Recognize and Begin to Overcome Caregiver Stress Read More »
Do you remember the song about how all our bones are connected? “The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone…” Hearing it as a kid was the first time I thought about the concept that everything in our body is connected to everything else. You only have to stub your toe to
How to Make Good Lifestyle Choices for the Rest of Your Life Read More »
Inflation. Inflammation. Although they have slightly different meanings, they both come from the root “inflame,” and when it refers to your body, it’s not good. When your ankles are swollen on a hot, summer day, or you have an infection and part of your body swells, you are aware of it. It’s uncomfortable. You keep
How to Eat So Your Body Doesn’t Blow Up Like a Bubble Read More »