Muriel was caregiver for her husband, who had Parkinson’s disease. At this point, he needed minimal help, but in the last year, she had seen a lot of changes, and they haunted her. She had done extensive reading, and knew that the disease was progressing more quickly than it did in some people. The drugs […]

In your entire arsenal against caregiver stress, what I’m going to discuss today may be the most important weapon. A sense of humour. “Are you nuts? There’s not a thing funny about this situation. My heart is breaking, I’m exhausted and most of the time I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing.

My next suggestion is probably the most difficult and frustrating to follow. 8. Be flexible. When I was a young bride (I’m an old bride now) we used to joke about my I.L.T. This with a piece of note paper that contained a list of chores I hoped to accomplish in a day. At the

Sometimes as a caregiver, you have to make tough choices. Molly always hosted the family Christmas get-together, and she loved it. She was all about family and celebrating. For weeks and even months ahead, she baked and shopped, decorated and planned. It wasn’t a chore. The anticipation of the event and the looks of pleasure

I’m tired of winter.(I hear you cheering. I know I’m not alone.) I’m tired of leaving early to clean off the car, worrying about digging myself out of the parking lot at the train station, and layers of clothes. I’m sick of “Oh nuts, I left my mitts drying at work.” and “How can I

The thing about caregiving, is that even when the physical demands aren’t difficult (such as when someone else is doing the physical care) the emotional demands are huge. How do you deal with watching deterioration in someone you love? How do you keep up with a constantly changing situation? How do you do this without

A few days ago, I went to my local drug store, which contains a post office. I needed a stamp. I stood in a lineup of people waiting to mail parcels and pick up packages, and searched in vain for the express aisle. I just needed a stamp. After five minutes with little movement, I

Just like there are all kinds of caregivers, there are many forms of caregiver stress. You may be experiencing only some of the symptoms. Perhaps your stress is more emotional than physical. You worry about the future, you wonder how this is affecting your family. You want to scream when the same question is asked

The Alzheimer Society is a great resource for caregivers, even if you aren’t dealing with Alzheimer’s. Their information about caregiver stress is excellent and practical, and I am going to borrow their bullet points, but add my own commentary. * Denial Denial of the disease and denial of the stress are both common. “She isn’t

Barb couldn’t get a handle on her life. Her three children were growing, but seemed to need her more than when they were little. Her oldest was in university, and the next in her last year of high school. Barb couldn’t imagine paying for two in university. The youngest was into soccer and band and