Caregiver Fatigue

The Shifting Sands of Solo Caregiving…

The Shifting Sands of Solo Caregiving…
Solo caregiving takes a toll on both parties. What starts out as an act of compassion and loyalty can deteriorate into a role that exceeds the best efforts of one person. Reframing the situation from a new vantage point helps…

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When all else fails, take them to the ER…

When all else fails, take them to the ER…
This article, entitled “Stressed Out Caregivers Are Using ER Visits for Respite Study Finds,” confirms that caregivers do what they have to do to survive the stress of caring for aging parents. It is also a sad reminder of the…

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Caregiver’s Context: The Big Picture

Caregiver’s Context: The Big Picture
Sometimes the big picture helps makes sense of what we are experiencing. This is certainly true for caregivers of aging parents who feel overwhelmed and exhausted from the complexity and uncertainty of their work. The Caregiver’s Context Mind Map offers…

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How To Talk To Aging Parents About Where To Live

How To Talk To Aging Parents About Where To Live
I was recently interviewed for an article entitled “Conversation vs. Confrontation: Guidelines for Effective Communication with Your Aging Parents.” In it I discuss how often the insistence by older adults to “stay put” in their home despite deteriorating circumstances prevents…

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Death Is Not The Biggest Problem

In her article Silicon Valley Would Rather Cure Death Than Make Life Worth Living Emily Dreyfuss takes technology’s oligarchs to task over their collective crusade to “cure death.” Not that curing death is a bad thing, but as Dreyfuss points…

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End of Life Medical Quicksand

We all know someone with a family member who has fallen into end of life medical quicksand and suffered an excruciating outcome. In his article I Know You Love Me–Now Let Me Die Dr. Louis Dr. Profeta, an ER physician,…

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Wisdom Cards

Aging Parents Dance Cards are a deck of the 20 cards designed for anyone involved in the care of an older adult. Each card is an aphorism I created on a topic, issue, or situation common to the caregiving experience.…

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Why Do We Teach CPR, But Not Caregiving?

Indeed, why don’t we? This article by Dr. Richard Lindsey discusses how he enlisted help from Virginia’s college and university students to invent an app or product to improve the health of caregivers…This is the kind of intergenerational creativity we…

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