...While my sons didn’t find the prospect of my death fun to talk about, they dutifully listened to the details of the plan I had created and where they could find these important papers should they need them. Regardless of who wishes to avoid end-of-life conversations, they must take place. Read more →
Entries categorized "Reflections"
...Sometimes the difficult dynamics between a caregiver and a care recipient have been deeply ingrained for many years. If your elderly parent or spouse has always been the dominating personality in your relationship, Read more →
...As family caregivers, we take on the expectations of our culture, our religion, our family. And then we take on the expectations of our toughest critic: ourselves. Negative thinking can easily become a damaging Read more →
...I’m certain that your mom doesn’t have any idea that her grief, her anger, and her stress over what happened is showing through in a way that it could negatively impact your dad, but you are entirely right. Read more →
..Acceptance doesn’t mean that you like the situation. It means that you accept what is true at this time. Acceptance can give us hope even when circumstances don’t change.. Read more →
Dear MJ: My heart is with you as you cope with the changes that life is demanding of you. Even with all you face, you took the time to kindly mention my column, so thank you for that! Since nearly all of us have something to be grateful for, I encourage gratitude as a way to cope with adversity. Gratitude doesn’t ignore our pain or challenges... Read more →
...You can carry on the tradition this year and run yourself ragged all winter trying to make a holiday miracle happen, or you can drop the perfect fantasy and lose the caregiver guilt. Read more →
...There was no time to fully contemplate the far-reaching implications of Dad’s abrupt change in health. Hard decisions had to be made and there was so much to be done that we couldn’t have anticipated. Read more →
...If you believe that an aging parent, friend or neighbor may be feeling lonely or depressed, there are steps you can take to help lift their spirits. You are probably busy adapting Read more →
...All deaths leave behind days on the calendar that are particularly painful for loved ones. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the births of children and grandchildren. All magnify the lack of presence of the deceased person. However, Thanksgiving, Christmas Read more →