Dear JH: By definition, caregivers care for people with at least somewhat fragile cognitive and/or physical health, and often both. That reality keeps many caregivers stay stuck in a fight-or-flight mode due to handling repeated emergencies, sometimes several at once. Unfortunately Read more →

Dear Worried: One of the vital things that we do as caregivers is helping our older adult family members take necessary medications as prescribed, and question prescriptions that could be unnecessary. Questioning doesn’t mean... Read more →

Dear Dad’s protector: I hear you. It’s scary to watch an older person take off on a bike let alone on skis. While accidents happen to young people as well, they are less likely to break bones and if they do, they are far less likely to be permanently disable or even die from the injury. Read more →

Over time, it’s become apparent that some type of compromise must be found. Isolated older adults, many of whom have some type of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, are deteriorating in alarming ways. Read more →

I cared for multiple elders, juggling their needs along with those of young children of my own. Those were some pretty crazy times. I felt driven to give each person the best care humanly possible. To do so meant that many of my elders lived their last months or years in a nursing home. Read more →

...Gray hair, wrinkles and skin spots aren’t terminal issues. They are battle scars worth noting and respecting. When you offer help to your elders, focus on what they can do rather what they can't, even if that involves some risk. Offer help when needed, but do so with respect. Read more →

Observe the staff. Note how the members of the staff interact with one another. Is there respect shown between them regardless of their job? When I saw how well the staff members interacted at the facility where my loved ones lived... Read more →

Dear KG: I’m sorry about your mom. I can only imagine how horrible it was for your family not to be able to have friends and family surround her as has been traditional in the past. Normally, I would say that I believe that most people mean well but they just haven’t developed the common sense and skill necessary... Read more →

I frantically grabbed my legal pad and wrote “GET DOWN!” in big letters. He just chuckled. This scene ended with me turning off the fuses in the fuse box, so he wouldn’t electrocute himself. He eventually tottered down off the ladder Read more →

Shortly after Joe passed, my aunt and uncle moved from Virginia to North Dakota to be near us, their only family. Then my parents and in-laws began having health troubles. In all, I cared for seven elders over the span of two decades. During that time, I was also busy raising two kids, one of whom had multiple health problems. Read more →