Multigenerational living can be a marvelous bonding experience, a chance for you to know your parent in a new way. It helps your aging parent avoid the sense of isolation and depression that may come with living alone. By this time in life, however, you both have established ways of doing things. Your likes, dislikes, values and […]
10 Secrets Elderly Parents Keep from Their Families
Your aging parent may be keeping secrets from you. It may not constitute all-out lying, but they might be purposely withholding information that is important to their health, safety or general well-being. Sometimes elderly parents hide things because they feel their independence slipping away or because they are embarrassed to ask for help. In some […]
Assessing Your Elderly Parent after a Holiday Visit
If you live some distance from your family, you probably have had a holiday visit with your aging loved ones. This visit may have been perhaps, the first opportunity in several months that you have had to personally observe them and their home environment. In the meantime, you’ve probably relied on regular telephone conversations and […]
“Tis the Season to be Jolly
This action is much easier to say than to do. Many people get the holiday blues, especially older adults. Seniors are more likely to have just lost a loved one, or have learned about bad health news than their younger counterparts. The holiday season can trigger memories of loved ones who have passed away. Events […]
Avoiding Caregiver Guilt Through the Holidays
Holidays are a time for family gatherings, fun traditions, and the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, holidays can also be stressful for those caring for someone who has been diagnosed with dementia. Involving and caring for your loved one during the festivities can be overwhelming, and it can often lead to caregiver guilt. Fortunately, there are tips to make […]
Remembering our Veterans
Americans celebrated the first Veterans Day on November 11, 1919, one year to the day after the end of the conflict they knew as the Great War and we (regrettably) know today as World War I. President Woodrow Wilson issued a message proclaiming the first celebration of “Armistice Day,” to show “gratitude for victory” in World War I and solemn pride “for those that […]
When did I sign up to be a caregiver?
Oftentimes, adult children find themselves performing caregiving tasks that might otherwise be offered from a professional provider. The parent is still living at home, relying on one or more adult children as an alternative to hiring an in-home caregiver or moving into assisted living. In other scenarios, the parents might have moved to independent living […]
Dealing with a Senior’s Cluttered House
It’s important to be safe on the road and at work, but safety at home is an equally critical consideration. Let’s be honest—many of us live in somewhat cluttered households. The average American home has more than 300,000 items. Some of the more obvious dangers are the risks for personal injury, such as trips and […]
Walking has so many benefits for older people
Whether you are an older person yourself, or you are thinking about your mom or dad–walking is great! Walking can improve their health and wellbeing in many ways, and it can help them to live independently for longer. Walking can: strengthen ones’ muscles help keep weight steady add to the ‘healthy lifestyle’ that is needed […]
Respecting Aging Parents–a Two Way Street
It Is About Respecting Aging Parents, But How Do You Do It? It is hard to be an adult child to an aging parent. But it is also hard to be an aging parent being cared for by an adult child. One solution: Think of this relationship as a partnership, not as one family member […]
