Mom is, for the most part, a good caregiver, but she’s resentful about what happened, and why wouldn’t she be? She has a right to these feelings except that her resentment shows through to Dad through her body language as well the tone of her voice, and from my observation, this increases Dad’s anxiety. Read more →

Often, however, if the death follows a long illness or significant pain, we can also feel a sense of relief that their suffering is over and we can get on with healing. It's often the in between time - the caregiving years - that is the most difficult to label. Read more →

Developing dementia doesn’t take away your individuality or humanity any more than developing cancer or diabetes. Therefore, rather than concentrate only on drugs, we need to help caregivers – and yes professionals – better understand how to help people living with dementia... Read more →

His head drifted to my shoulder and that last, gentle breath slipped by unnoticed by me. What I felt was the positive force of Dad’s spirit leaving his body. And then — joy! Did I just write joy? Yes, I did. Read more →

Dear Carol: My husband has vascular dementia due to strokes and uses a wheelchair.  I’ve been his sole caregiver for over a decade but a year ago it was obvious that my body was breaking down from the physical work and emotional exhaustion of 24-hour care. Read more →

...No matter what a person’s position on religion or spirituality is, most people will appreciate an offer to listen to them talk about their loved one. Read more →

Dear Candid Caregiver: My husband and I have been married 25 years and have raised two children. Just as we were thinking that we’d be able to travel because the kids are old enough to be on their own, my in-laws started having one health problem after another. Read more →

...The crux of these conversations is that medicine will do everything possible and then when you give up you will go on hospice care. That is a mistake. Hospice is not about giving up. Read more →

When people think about caregiving spouses, they often think of older adults. We only have to look at a young mother diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a young husband diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or in this case, a woman who’s healthy husband had a sudden, massive stroke Read more →

...As the years went by, however, I slowly began to notice a change in terminology in the clinic and hospital settings. When I accompanied my loved ones to medical appointments, the dreaded “caretaker” was gradually overtaken by “caregiver.” Read more →