By Carol Bradley Bursack, AgingCare.com Occasionally, someone on the AgingCare.com forum will say that they secretly wish the parent for whom they are caring would die. The parent is sick, miserable and hard to care for. The caregiver wants her or his life back. Of course, those who admit they have had this thought wonder…
Amy Grant on being a caregiver to an elderly parent… Amy is featured in this week’s PEOPLE Magazine discussing the greatest challenge – and greatest lesson — of her life as she navigates the ‘new reality’ of a parent with dementia and embraces the unexpected gifts it brings. The article is written by Eileen Finan…
By Carol Bradley BursackAgingCare.com One question that is often asked on Agingcare.com is, “How do I deal with the reality of leaving behind the life I had in order to become the primary caregiver to my parents?” The words used vary by the questioner, but the question is essentially the same. How do we cope…
ABC News Special Series, Families on the Brink Round-table Discussion on How to Help Aging Parents ABC News – Families on the Brink: What to do about Mom and Dad? As the baby boom generation approaches retirement age, millions of Americans are facing one wrenching question: What to do about Mom and Dad? The country…
Feel at Peace: Lose the Caregiver Guilt By Carol Bradley Bursack, AgingCare.com Scene one: The first call of the day from your mom you can handle. “Oh, hi, Mom. Yes, it’s a pretty day. Maybe you should walk down the hall and see Marian?” You chat awhile and then say, “Bye. Love you, too.” Five…
2012 CT Press Club Award-Winning Article… The Mixed-Up Emotions of Caregiving By Laurie Newkirk Dealing with one’s mother’s emotional and/or mental issues is very hard and draining. I find my feelings conflicted, glad to be helping, resentful to have to be doing it, wanting the best for her but not wanting to have to give…
Leeza Gibbon’s On Caring For Aging Parents: Dealing With a Loved One’s Dementia TODAY Books Leeza Gibbons on the depression she faced while caring for her mother. In her book Take Your Oxygen First, Leeza Gibbons shares the story of her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. With the help of medical professionals, Gibbons…
Siblings in Denial About a Parent’s Declining Health and Care Needs By Carol Bradley Bursack AgingCare.com Nearly all family caregivers who have siblings have experienced some version of sibling denial in regard to their parents. Whether the denial is the subconscious need to ignore the fact that a parent is declining, or they want to…
Parenting an Aging Parent and Helping Her Through New Experiences By P. Jefferson While we’re growing up, we eagerly view getting older as the pathway to life’s important “firsts” or milestones—starting school, getting a driver’s license, graduating from high school, then college, getting married, just to name a few. We recognize and often celebrate each…
Forgiving Your Parent for How They Treated You in the Past By Marlo Sollitto, AgingCare.com Every caregiver has a family history. Some of that history may be unpleasant, disappointing or even abusive. A caregiver’s experience of abuse, neglect and addiction leaves lasting scars. Moving beyond the past is never easy. But what happens when someone in your…