Autumn colors, leaves falling, daylight savings – these are signs the season has changed from the lazy days of summer. There are signs of changes in the caregiving season as well. • Your aging parent is becoming more forgetful • Your loved one is showing more fear of going out or falling down • He…
In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:12 “I’m afraid to die.” I’ve heard this comment from more than one older person. And all are professing Christians. What is going on? Christians have an abiding belief…
Question from a reader: My aging grandmother is becoming more grouchy and pushy. She doesn’t hesitate to voice whatever she thinks, whether or not it’s rude. How does a Christian deal with that? The Bible says to honor our father and mother, so how do we honor our aging loved ones when they act like…
Mim has been a member of the same church for over forty years. She’s served on the Women’s Ministry Council, sung in the choir, worked in the nursery, and is a prayer warrior. She’s adored by everyone who knows her. Now in her late eighties, Mim had a stroke. Her daughter flew up from Southern…
My brother died in May at the age of sixty-five. His death was sudden; a jarring crash into the reality that we all have an expiration date. Although he was four years older, we were close growing up. Every summer our grandma and grandpa (Nini and Yangie) took us camping for two weeks. My oldest…
I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Freda Crews last spring about my book, The Caregiving Season. It was especially poignant for her, as she helped care for her aging parents before their deaths. How have you faced your changing role while caring for your parents? Dr. Freda V. Crews, D. Min., Ph.D., is…
Aging and isolation, helping elders cope with seclusion when they start losing loved ones. I met Alene when she lived with her son, Greg and his wife. She is another elderly woman who struggled with loss and loneliness, but her story is different. When Alene became too frail for Greg and his wife to provide…
As we look to a brand new year, it brings to mind new beginnings. A fresh start. Maybe do things differently this year. Here are some resolutions I’ve made to make 2017 better than 2016 in my role as caregiver for my ninety-three-year-old mother: Give more grace. I need to remind myself that she’s 93,…
At a conference I attended, a speaker used a Hawaiian word I’d never heard before: kuleana. It means a responsibility, but it’s more than a duty or task. It also carries a connotation of privilege. I wondered if I could apply this to caring for my mother. Could I adjust my perspective, and view this…
When you work full time and also have responsibility for your aging parent, sometimes the two worlds collide. Work pressures suck your emotional energy until you feel as dry as a shed snake skin. It’s a monumental task to dredge up enough strength to deal with the demands of caregiving. All you want to do…
