Barbara was at her wit’s end. She had made the difficult decision to give up a job in finance to look after her mother. She knew she’d be alright financially, but wondered if she could really fulfil that role in her mother’s life. She’d prayed about it, and it seemed the right thing to do. […]

“Good fences make good neighbours.” said the poet. Maybe his neighbour said it, too. I have no fence on my front yard, and my neighbour and I share the space. Their kids run over my part and my dogs run over his. We both make it work, and it’s not a big deal. Why? Because

We are painting. If you live anywhere in the vicinity or follow me on Facebook or work with me, you are groaning  now. One of my co-workers said, “Please! No more painting stories.” One of the problems is that it’s a big area. Living room, dining room, hall up to and including the front door,

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