All Caregiving Articles

Sue Martin does her best to be a dutiful and loving daughter. So when her 84-year-old mother finally retired from a family electronics business -- at age 82 -- Martin bought the small three- bedroom ranch house next door to her own home in Claymont, Del., and moved her mother in. It hasn't been easy. Martin, who's divorced, had planned to retire next year from her job as a legal Read more...

Here are primary contact names, phone/fax numbers and e-mail addresses for care of your loved one: Personal Information My loved one's home address and phone number: Drivers license number: Armed Forces ID number: Social Security number: Medicare number: Medicaid number: Other health/life insurance policies: Emergency Contacts Primary care Read more...

QUESTION: A few years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a fatal degenerative disease. My parents moved down South because the warmer climate helps dad's condition. Mom takes care of him, and every second of the day, she's very stressed. My siblings and I live in the Northeast and don't get to see them as often as we'd like. A year before dad got sick, my parents seemed to go through a positive Read more...

By Leslie Haggin Geary Bankrate.com Staying home or cutting back hours to raise children or to tend to an aging parent is a loving and noble thing to do. But it's also expensive. It's not only income you're losing. Retirement benefits -- from employer-sponsored savings to Social Security -- take a hit as well. If you're married, a working spouse must work extra hard to make up Read more...

Even with her body full of painkillers, she doesn't have the strength to sit up. So Mary Flanagan stretches her withered arms out to her daughter at her bedside. Dee Toole cradles the family matriarch, raising the 85-year-old woman upright. Toole kisses the gray strands on top of mother's head. For the second time in a week, Toole has brought her mother, who has Alzheimer's Read more...

Three recent books offer help for families and insights for professionals caring for an elder with dementia. Navigating the Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass for Caregiving by Carol Bowlby Sifton (Health Professions Press, 2004) Although this volume is bulky, it is very readable and chock full of well-organized information for family caregivers and professionals in health and aging. Sifton, Read more...

Denise M. Brown, Professional Caregiving Coach and Publisher/Editor of Caregiving! newsletter and Caregiving.com, offers the following tips, which she calls "The Three Be's of Caregiving: Be Prepared, Be Honest and Be Well." Be Prepared Once a family member needs intense care, time is spent managing one moment to the next. It's hard to carve out the time needed to really explore and Read more...

Caring for an elderly loved one afflicted with Alzheimer's disease (one form of dementia) is often one of the most difficult journeys a family will ever have to take. However, with a little insight the road can be more bearable. And by implementing some creative behavioral techniques to reduce caregiver stress, the experience can become quite rewarding.   I have learned these lessons the hard Read more...

See also: Alzheimer's, caregiver, dad, dementia, elderly, feelings, mom, parents, reminisce, validate

The decision to place a loved one in an assisted living facility is a difficult but frequently unavoidable one. Even though the choice may be absolutely necessary, the person forced to make the decision for their spouse or parent often feels an overwhelming sense of guilt. When the time came for me to decide to place my mother, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, into assisted living, Read more...

By Jacqueline Marcell Caring for a chronically ill loved one can be one of life's greatest challenges. During the holidays, when even more responsibilities are added to an already stressful schedule, caregivers can often feel guilty and frustrated for not being able to accomplish all the tasks they once could. Additionally, fond memories of past holidays, when the loved one was still healthy, Read more...

See also: caregivers, challenges, chronicaly ill, fond memories, holidays, loss, loved one, sadness, stressful

Boomers who find themselves caring for their elderly parents face increasingly limited career options, according to a recent study. The study found that two-thirds of workers who care for elderly relatives have lost promotions, pay raises and training opportunities. Conducted by the MetLife Mature Market Institute in New York City, the National Center for Women and Aging, and the National Read more...

If you're caring for an ill or aging parent while trying to meet the demands of a career -- while also being a loving spouse and raising children, the stress of it all often can be overwhelming, leading to burnout, says caregiving expert Carroll Devine. To survive all those demands, she says, you need to take care of yourself first. That means you must maintain and improve your own Read more...

"I am the solo caretaker for my wife who is a 71-year-old diabetic, totally paralyzed on one side of her body, excessively overweight, incontinent and, in my opinion, an alcoholic because of the amount of gin and whiskey she consumes. I do all the housework, prepare all the meals, [do] all the yard work, do the laundry, make the beds, do the shopping, etc. ... In addition, I bathe her, Read more...

"My parents are 88, just four days apart ... I try to observe their situation and always respect their autonomy, so it was very alarming when Daddy asked me to seek professional help yesterday. "They have both been admitted to the hospital -- and have been put in the same room, thank God, as they are never apart -- after being diagnosed with respiratory stress, pneumonia and acute Read more...

Question: How do you find the right care situation for an aging parent? Answer: Many caregivers mistakenly believe they only have two options: home care or a nursing home. In fact, there are many other options that are home-based, community-based or a combination of the two. Common types of caregiving include hiring a care manager to coordinate services, contracting with a home care agency to Read more...

Although most of us have helped a friend through one kind of loss or another, it's normal to wonder how to provide effective assistance without seeming intrusive. According to Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist in Ventura, Calif., "being a supportive friend in times of need involves a combination of listening, insight and helpful actions." At first news of a loss, Dr. Auerbach Read more...

Question: Caring for my aging parent is leaving me frustrated, stressed and exhausted. What can I do to help myself?Answer: Turning to a caregiver support group as a source of emotional support can help family members feel less alone and improve their ability to deal with the uncertainties eldercare brings, according to Joy Loverde in Will a Support Group Really Help? Family caregivers say that Read more...

Question: How do I know if it's still safe for my frail parents to live alone? Answer: With advanced age can come losses in physical or mental abilities. Many of these losses are gradual and manageable, but some are serious enough to require intervention. According to the When to Step In solutions guide from ThirdAge, signs that your loved one may need supervised care include memory loss, Read more...

Most of us thirdagers are so busy taking care of others that we often lose sight of what we want for ourselves. This can be especially true for women, the traditional caregivers in our society. If you can’t remember the last time you did something just for you, guided imagery may be able to help you put you in touch with your own desires. "Practicing guided imagery exercises can help you Read more...

How will you care for loved ones through their old age or illness? Prize-winning writer Beth Witrogen McLeod says most of us avoid this question, even though we are nearly certain to face difficult caregiving issues at some point in life. Having struggled to secure the best care for her own infirm parents, McLeod now shares her experience, resources and research with others. She hosts a Read more...