Caregiving

  • Sex in the Time of Caregiving

    When combined, the stresses of caregiving and changes brought on by menopause can take a serious toll on a woman’s sex life. A women’s health expert shares how female caregivers can improve their sexual health and quality of life.

    9 Comments
  • How to Engage in Self-Care While Grieving

    Grief is an inescapable part of caregiving. We mourn an aging loved one’s physical and cognitive losses as they decline and eventually mourn their death. Self-care is vital to a caregiver’s physical and mental health throughout the grieving process.

    4 Comments
  • Lessons in End-of-Life Care from Oscar the Cat

    For more than ten years, Oscar the Cat has been teaching the staff at a Rhode Island nursing home lessons about end-of-life care and what's truly important to those who are dying.

    3 Comments
  • A Spouse’s Experience: Caring for a Loved One with Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis

    Hallucinations and delusions are troubling symptoms that can develop in the mid to late stages of PD. A spousal caregiver shares her experiences with her husband’s psychotic episodes in order to raise awareness of this little-known facet of the disease.

    3 Comments
  • How and When to Update a Senior’s Care Plan

    Once a geriatric care plan has been established, it should be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure its continued effectiveness for the senior, their primary caregiver, and other members of the care team.

    0 Comments
  • 5 Qualities to Look for in a Caregiver

    When looking for a caregiver, don’t focus solely on training and credentials. Including these five important attributes in your selection criteria will help ensure you hire a compassionate, experienced in-home care aide.

    10 Comments
  • “Elderspeak” Can Be Detrimental to Seniors’ Mental and Physical Health

    Most caregivers who use elderspeak do so with the goal of enhancing interactions with their elders, not degrading them. However, “endearing” pet names and juvenile turns of phrase can erode a senior’s self-esteem and breed resentment.

    23 Comments
  • How Caregiving Can Help Us Rethink the Meaning of Motherhood

    As caregivers, how much do we owe our aging mothers? Learning to appreciate those who mothered us during our formative years and finding forgiveness in our hearts for those who faltered in these duties can help us come to terms with these relationships.

    6 Comments
  • Adult Day Care Guards Against Caregiver Stress

    Adult day care is an often underused service by those taking care of elderly loved ones. For dementia caregivers, utilizing adult day care services may help significantly reduce caregiving stress.

    7 Comments
  • 6 Tech Tools I Wish I’d Had When I Was a Caregiver

    There have been countless advancements in the use of elder care technology to extend seniors’ independence and help ease the burden on family caregivers. A veteran caregiver shares her thoughts on technology’s growing role in caregiving.

    10 Comments
  • Is Using Validation for Dementia Calming or Condescending?

    Seniors with dementia often live in an altered reality that can sometimes be upsetting. Validating their perceptions and feelings is the kindest, most respectful way to handle confusion, hallucinations and delusions.

    125 Comments
  • All Caregivers Have Angry Days

    As a caregiver, I know I'm allowed to have an 'angry day' now and again. During those times, I try to remind myself of the little things that Charlie does that I really love.

    50 Comments
  • Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be a Caregiver

    Being a caregiver for an ill loved one is extremely challenging, and many people are torn about accepting this role. Even those who want to help may not have the resources, abilities or desire to provide hands-on care.

    48 Comments
  • A Recommended Reading List for Caregivers

    If you’re looking for a new perspective on aging, tips for communicating with elders, advice on setting boundaries or valuable insights on dementia care, pick up one of these acclaimed books about caregiving.

    12 Comments
  • 6 Pieces of Wisdom Nurses Often Share with New Family Caregivers

    More than any other medical professionals, nurses spend the most time providing hands-on care for patients and interacting with family caregivers. Here’s a list of six elder care insights that nurses share with family members who are new to caregiving.

    12 Comments
  • Humor Shared Among Caregivers Is Therapeutic

    Caregivers are faced with overwhelming stress and difficult care decisions daily. Finding opportunities to laugh and ways to incorporate a little humor into your routine will lift your spirits and bring proven health benefits.

    25 Comments
  • Hiring an In-Home Caregiver to Act as the Family Lookout

    Specialized training enables in-home caregivers to notice and act on important changes in a senior’s health. Personal care aides, home health aides and nurses can serve as the eyes and ears for family who cannot personally provide full-time care.

    5 Comments
  • Discounts and Free Services for Seniors and Their Caregivers

    With so many older adults living on limited incomes, finding affordable products and services is crucial to making ends meet. Get the inside scoop on freebies and discounts available to you and your aging loved one.

    61 Comments
  • Short-Term Home Care vs. Long-Term Home Care

    Whether a senior requires temporary help at home following discharge or requires permanent support to avoid placement in a long-term care facility, in-home care services can be customized to meet their unique needs.

    7 Comments
  • Why Seniors Refuse Help

    Aging parents are often resistant to receiving assistance from their grown children—even (and sometimes especially) when they desperately need it. Researchers shed light on why convincing an older adult to accept help can be so tricky.

    28 Comments
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