Q. My parents are beginning to forget certain thing. I believe that some of this is normal for folks in their 80′s. How do you know if it’s Alzheimer’s, and at what point is some level of intervention or medical help needed? A. As we age it is normal to experience a slowing in ... Read More

Today I was sad to learn that Emma, a friend’s 88 year-old mother, is still alive. Years ago this poor woman had a stroke that left her paralyzed.  After having a leg removed due to complications from Diabetes she was moved into an assisted living facility where she has lived for a very long ... Read More

If you are ever in doubt about God’s existence or whether God’s love is at work in this world,  spend a few days in the company of people who care for the aged, disabled, and chronically ill. Follow in the footsteps of a middle-aged woman who works a full-time job and manages  the care of ... Read More

I woke up this morning thinking about my mother’s mantra:  ”As long as I have the ability to think and reason, I have the power to choose my attitude toward any person, thing, or event.”  I knew I needed an attitude adjustment, but I was still wallowing in a little self-pity ... Read More

My husband Alex had back surgery on August 9th.  As I write this post, we are waiting for a call from the doctor’s office hoping for an explanation for the excruciating leg pain that has come on unexpectedly in the last 24 hours.  I didn’t sleep much last night – he didn’t ... Read More

Finding humor in absurd situations. I received letters from my mother over a course of several months regarding “The Avis Situation.”  We didn’t know at the time that stroke survivors, Alzheimer’s patients, and people with other dementia related diseases often display ... Read More

Finding humor in absurd situations. As a family caregiver, dementia-related inappropriate sexual behavior can be shocking and upsetting.  As professional caregiver, it can be confusing and frustrating, as kindness toward a patient with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases is ... Read More

Madelyn Kubin (my mother) was a 70 year-old Kansas farm woman who had very poor health, and very little money when my father  suffered a debilitating stroke. The next day he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Madelyn became his caregiver. One of the ways she survived her six-year caregiving ... Read More

Twenty to fifty percent of caregivers experience depression. * The rates are highest among individuals who care for spouses with dementia.  It is not unusual for caregivers to experience two different types of depression – reactionary and clinical. Reactionary depression is usually a ... Read More

Grief is the normal, natural, healing response we experience when we lose someone or something we value. Caregivers go through a different process known as Preparatory Grief. Preparatory Grief is different from other types of grief in that it requires continual adjustment to ongoing losses. It ... Read More