If you think PTSD only happens to those who have experienced life-threatening danger, think again. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can arise after any traumatic event or experience. So, can a caregiver get PTSD? It may surprise you to learn that providing care for a loved one is, in fact, among the main factors behind PTSD.…
After losing a loved one, the last thing you want to do is complete a list of to-dos. The pain and loss alone are overwhelming enough. Taking the time to sort out your grief is very important. Yet there are, unfortunately, a number of tasks that need to be taken care of, at various intervals…
It’s been quite some time since you’ve had the opportunity for a nice, long visit with Mom. Now that the holiday season is here, you will have some uninterrupted time to catch up. Of course, you’ll want to make the most of this time together, but it’s also the best time to evaluate how she…
If you are in a successful, long-lasting relationship, you recognize that it requires commitment, compromise, and sacrifice. The happiest relationships are the ones where both parties selflessly take care of each other. This balance shifts, however, if the person you love encounters a serious health concern. And this shift into the role of care provider…
“You can make it, but it’s easier if you don’t have to do it alone.” – Betty Ford We all know that no individual can function as an island, something that especially holds true when caring for a parent with dementia. Yet many family caregivers stumble when it comes to asking for or accepting the…
Trusting someone you love to be cared for by someone else is never easy, especially for a senior family member. Whether at home or in a facility, you’ll have questions that need to be answered. You’ll also want to be prepared to advocate for your loved one to proactively manage any potential problems and also…
In a perfect world, our family interactions would all be helpful and positive. We would handle transitional times cooperatively, smoothly, and without any disagreement. As our parents grew older, it would be a seamless process to meet their needs today and as they change in the future. The reality, however, is that being an adult…
If you were to list the top five emotions you experience in meeting the care needs of your aging parents, what would they be? Maybe you would first think of emotions like compassion, love, and sometimes, even frustration or stress. Would anger make the list? In many cases, though family care providers would not wish…
As our parents age, it’s not necessarily simple to know exactly what our role as adult children must be. We’d like what is best for them, but if we’re not cautious, we’ll overstep our boundaries and find ourselves attempting to parent our parents. This is also true when safety is a concern. There’s a thin…
What are your first thoughts as soon as you wake up each morning? Are you looking forward to what the day holds, or would you like to crawl back underneath the covers and stay there? If you are feeling more dread than delight as you think through your family caregiver responsibilities for the day, you’re…