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“Caring For An Aging Parent Will Mean the End of My Career”
A few days ago, someone typed these words into Google and landed on my site. Without knowing anything about the circumstances that led her (or him) to begin a search with such an incredibly powerful...
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How To Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Are there moments when caregiving makes you want to scream? Any number of things related to caring for your aging parent can cause you to feel like you’re at the end of the proverbial rope including:...
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At the End of Her Rope Thanks to Alzheimer’s
I received a note recently from a reader named Cathy who lives about a hundred miles west of Chicago. In reality, Cathy lives everywhere because her story is like so many of yours. She is the primary...
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If You Can Find These Things in a Caregiver Support Group – GO.
Twelve years ago I was a social work intern charged with running a voluntary support group for male teens recovering from drug abuse. The setting was a small, outpatient mental health clinic and I...
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An Exhausted Family Caregiver Survives By Living in the Moment
The message below was sent to me recently by an adult daughter caring for mom. I’ve decided to post it in its entirety because I think it illustrates so beautifully the uphill climb that caring for...
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You Have A “Right” to Take Care of Yourself
For the next nine weeks I’ll be counting down the family caregivers’ rights discussed in Jo Horne’s book Caregiving: Helping An Aging Loved One. Each one is really an affirmation — the kind you ought...
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You Have A “Right” to Seek Help From Others
Welcome to week #2 of my nine week countdown of the caregivers’ bill of rights discussed in Jo Horne’s book Caregiving: Helping An Aging Loved One. It’s just one little dose of caregiver support after...
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You Have A “Right” to A Life Separate From Caregiving
This is week three of my nine-week countdown of the caregivers’ bill of rights discussed in Jo Horne’s book Caregiving: Helping An Aging Loved One. Each post is meant as a little dose — a virtual shot...
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Go Ahead, Be Angry. It’s Really Okay.
I attended an event this past week where a published author asked me to share a bit about my blog before offering up some thoughts on the type of book I might write related to my chosen topic of elder...
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It Isn’t Okay to Feel So Guilty When You’re Doing Your Best
I loved my paternal grandmother, but I didn’t like her much. That’s the truth, and now that I’ve written it I’m certain that my mother will gasp when she sees these words. Not because she felt all...
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How To Overcome Feeling Overwhelmed
Last week I cracked the crown on “tooth #30″. It hurt. But not as much as the pain that would have come with replacing it with my out-of-network dentist…$750. “No way,” said my husband. I shared his...
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What Do Family Caregivers Need Most? In a Word – Support.
A few weeks ago a reader I’ll call Cara got in touch to tell me about her mom Jeannie. Recently divorced and concerned for her father’s health, Jeannie moved her father into her home. Immediately,...
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How Do I Stop My Daughter From Arguing With My Mom Who Has Alzheimer’s?
Dear Maria, My 27-year old daughter complains that my 84-year old mother with Alzheimer’s says mean and hurtful things to her on purpose. She gets so hurt and angry that she will start yelling at my...
View ArticleHere’s What Caregiver Burnout Looks Like
Dear Maria, My mom was an amazing-nonworking-caregiver to her mom and to her dad. A wonderful example of selfless giving. She now is under my care, albeit living alone. She is legally blind, on a...
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