Caregivers

Writing or presenting new ideas for parents of children who have been living with disability for any length of time is an enormous challenge, and if you’re one of those parents, you know why!  You have already championed, researched, reached out and kept up.  You know so much—not only about your child’s diagnosis, needs and…

This is not your typical holiday blog post.  This commentary—based NOT on research from the experts but on the personal observation and experience of its author—is for those of us facing the holiday season with some measure of grief, hardship, discouragement, confusion, isolation, disappointment, futility or fear. Given current events and the complexity of life…

Memory loss is one of the most feared consequences of aging.  After all, it’s natural to want to learn and remember new things, make good decisions, interact well socially, and concentrate in our later years of life. If our interest and hope in maintaining cognition weren’t there, we wouldn’t be reminded constantly by the media…

When observing caregiving situations, we see that it is very often the caregiver—rather than the elder—who is concerned about threats to safety in the home. This is not surprising; many who have lived independently the majority of their lives feel quite confident that they are capable of continuing to do so, while their caregivers worry…

If you are a non-artist like many of us (let’s face it, we’re the ones who consistently draw in stick figures and circles, all the while admiring the artistic work of other people whom we believe actually have “talent”), it is likely that even hearing the phrase “art therapy” produces anxious thoughts that just might…

It’s summer time. And, we all need to take a break from our daily routines, whether it’s a weeklong family vacation or even just a day-long staycation. Deciding where to go can be a challenge for caregivers, as they want to assure a positive experience for their loved ones and minimize complications. Thankfully, Indianapolis has…

If you’ve been a caregiver for awhile, chances are you’ve frequently set aside some of the activities you consider nonessential in order to accomplish the necessary tasks of caring for someone else. The experience of having fun, for example, is commonly categorized by family caregivers as unnecessary or even selfish because, let’s face it, there…

Some think it was Plato, others certainly not, but whoever said this seems to have had the right idea: “People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person, or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.” Perhaps without realizing it, each of us has…

Years ago, I was invited to the home of a brilliant scientist, a retired professor in her nineties who claimed that she had never thrown out a daily newspaper in her entire adult life.  Imagine my intrigue when entering her enormous eighth-story apartment to be ushered (in single file) through a high and narrow maze…