Caregiving

Making good choices for yourself is a foundational underpinning for getting through life with a modicum of grace. Certainly, planning for your caregiving journey is one of those good choices. When did I first become aware that I actually could make a choice in how things are, and how they turn out? It’s a simple…

If there’s one key to surviving and thriving during the time you’re caring for a loved one, it is without a doubt taking care of yourself first. Maybe it seems impossible at times, but think of it as an investment. Even as little as 5 minutes a day can help restore a sense of calm…

My immediate family’s story is, like so many good stories, integrally linked with its particular time in history – in our case, the 60s and 70s. My parents were divorced in 1970, and we were the first family to experience it among our friends. It was bruising to my fragile 16-year-old ego, and had long-lasting…

About this time last July, my world was turned upside down by a small misstep off the curb in the hot summer dusk. Forty-eight hours later, I was the not-so-proud owner of: A walker A cane Crutches A stabilizing boot (so-called “air cast,” removable for showers)

There’s no doubt that the value of unpaid work done by non-professional caregivers is huge – estimated to be nearly $500 billion annually, and exceeding the value of paid home care and total Medicaid spending. An important piece of the caregiving puzzle is companies, and what they are doing (or not doing) to support the…

I haven’t written a word about my Dad in my newsletters yet. But there haven’t been many days in the past 28 years that I haven’t thought of him – especially on Father’s Day. He was a fine figure of a man – tall (6’4”), dark (olive-skinned with black hair) and handsome (think Elvis in…

My own caregiving journey began when I was 53, on a brilliant, sunny, late May morning out in the Hill Country of Texas, where I live. Our yard Cardinals were flitting from one tree to the next, and I could hear the low, intermittent thrumming of the hummingbirds at the feeder out on the back…

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday of year. The air is just a little bit more fresh and crisp, and the trees (at least in the South) are still pretty nice looking, with the color and foliage not quite fully changed yet. The food and libations are fantastic and never-ending, there are no presents…

I sure wish I had kept a journal while my Mom was dying. Lots of caregivers do, and I highly recommend it. That’s because while many of my memories – in general and specifically related to caregiving – are etched in stone, so to speak, still others have faded. In some cases, I have no…

I cannot say enough good things about Teresa, the CNA who was assigned to our family by the hospice organization that helped us in my Mom’s last six months. Teresa visited our house every weekday in the afternoon, for an hour or so. She was there to help with anything we might be having problems…