I recently spoke at an Alzheimer’s Conference in Perry, Georgia.  During the workshop we were talking about how to effectively  communicate with people who have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  Claire, one of the attendees told me a story that reinforced my belief in the ... Read More

Q. How can I get my aging parents to fill out end-of-life documents that provide guidance to us kids about what they want such as Advance Directives? A. Conversations about end-of-life choices can be very uncomfortable. None of us like to think about our own potential incapacity or death. Views ... Read More

Q. How do you make aging parents “happy”? How do I contend with all the gripes that nothing is good enough? A. The place to start is with accepting the fact that you are not and never will be powerful enough to make someone else happy. You may do things that please or displease your ... Read More

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

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

Regardless of the type of work you do, having the right tools makes the job easier. As a caregiver, it would not be unusual for you to find yourself in a position where you need to perform tasks that are beyond your physical ability. Sometimes in emergencies, necessity and adrenalin combine to ... Read More

As a caregiver, you may be physically confined much of the time, but no one can put restrictions on where or how far your mind can go. Embrace the process of learning. Reading to expand your mind, developing a new skill, or even performing a routine task in a different way can be ... Read More

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