aging parents Archives - Page 10 of 21 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

When the last parent is gone…

December 18, 2017

When The Last Parent Is Gone By David Solie When the last parent is gone, Your heart cannot right itself, Things that should help, Heeding warning signs Repairing loose ends Bracing for impact All…

When an aging parent moves in, no one can predict how it will work out. What looks good in the beginning can come undone in sudden and distressing ways. Adult children need to frame moving in as “one step” in…

Reset Expectations

December 15, 2017

The challenge of caring for an aging parent are exhaustive and quickly exceed the capacity of any one person. Caregivers need to adopt realistic and sustainable expectations about their capacityy to avoid sacrificing their health for unattainable goals. Acknowledging limits…

Childhood Matters

December 2, 2017

The residue of childhood carries with it complex feelings about aging parents that limit objectivity, exaggerate responsibilities and increase emotional vulnerability. This distorted landscape makes it impossible to receive the approval adult children desperately seek from their aging parents in…

Growing Up With Toxic Parents

November 5, 2017

This quote by Susan Forward from her book Toxic Parents captures the essence of the emotional wound toxic parenting inflicts on children. Recovery as an adult takes layers of patience and compassion as well as the context of sustained “healthy…

Perfect Gift for Caregivers of Aging Parents

November 3, 2017

Below is the complete set, all 20 cards of the Aging Parents Dance Cards deck. Together, they offer bite-sized portions of David Solie’s philosophy, insights, reframing strategies and work arounds that all help to reduce the complexity and uncertainty of…

How A One-Page Diagram Can Reduce Readmissions

October 31, 2017

I was asked how I use Caregiver Mind Maps with clients. My response was that I have found them immensely useful when I need to present the “big picture”situation and game plan about an aging or caregiving challenge. Here is…

Off Label with Nursing Home Patients

October 21, 2017

This disturbing investigation by CNN of the off label use of a medication on nursing home patients reinforces the responsibility of caregivers to know the names, dosages and the “exact medical reason” for each medication the older family member is…

Sooner or Later: Part 2

October 14, 2017

And here’s what’s going to happen: 11. Your parents are going to repeat stories you’ve heard a thousand times and test your patience and endurance by telling them another thousand times. Comment: Instead of complaining about how many times you’ve…

How To Reduce Power Struggles With Aging Parents

September 13, 2017

How To Reduce Power Struggles With Aging Parents is a video slideshow I created to outline some of the underlying issues that complicate communication between adult children and their aging parents. In addition to providing new insights about their causes,…