- Adult Day Services
- Aging in Place
- Caregiver Burnout
- Caregiver Support
- Communicating with Loved Ones
- Dealing with Grief & Guilt
- Geriatric Care Managers: How They Can Help
- Get Organized: Tools for Caregiving
- Handling Dementia Behaviors
- Hospitalization
- Respite
- Senior Driving Issues
Book Review: Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss and Renewal
In her book Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss and Renewal, Beth Witrogen McLeod explores the process of finding meaning in human suffering. The author frames caregiving as a rite of passage—a journey toward heightened compassion and connection with one’s true self. The book is a mélange of personal experience and practical advice—from both McLeod and other professionals in the fields of aging, finance, medicine and spirituality. Caregiving offers hope and inspiration by delving into the core issues of...Read the rest of this article »
Lessons I Learned after My Father’s Death
Even after thirty years in the financial planning industry, I am constantly learning and gaining new professional experience. This time, however, the experience came from the recent, painful loss of my dad. His passing came after nine years of his living in elder care facilities and his slow deterioration, which included dementia, the loss of his senses, his ability to perform the activities of daily living and more. As I learned with my father’s death, no matter how prepared...Read the rest of this article »
The Importance of Being Mothered
I often think back to the last time I was mothered by my mother. It was thirty-two years ago, and I was twenty-five years old. My mother had been hospitalized for over eight months with a condition that today would be handled on an outpatient basis, but this was before outpatient IV therapy was in practice. This would not have changed the outcome of her illness, however; we knew from the outset that time was limited. For months I...Read the rest of this article »
Pookie & Bubbie
When my husband was growing up, his family had a series of songbirds, canaries and parakeets, each of whom was named Pookie. So it seemed only natural that the green-and-yellow parakeet we acquired would be dubbed Pookie as well. Pookie didn’t strike me as a very exciting pet. He didn’t sing, he didn’t talk—he didn’t do much of anything. That is, except when my mother-in-law, Bubbie, would visit. Having nurtured the entire Pookie dynasty, Bubbie knew ways of talking...Read the rest of this article »
The 5 Stages of Dealing with Grief: What to Expect
Hospice provides bereavement care to the patient’s family and friends for at least one year after the patient’s death. Chaplains, social workers and a bereavement counselor provide ongoing support for families dealing with grief. These professionals are experienced in helping others cope with the dying process. Psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified the five stages of grief that can be expected when a person is dying or knows someone who is dying. 1. Anger People tend to get angry when...Read the rest of this article »
