Are you caring for an aging parent or spouse? Perhaps you are the full-time caregiver of a special-needs child. How do you maintain your equilibrium under the constant demands? We often hear the words ‘self-care.’ You may be asking, “How can I care for myself when all my time and energy are spent on my…
As a bank manager, I receive ongoing training in financial elder abuse. I am trained on how to detect abuse, and when to report it. The bank has protocol on how to separate the older person from the family member or friend who may be taking advantage of them. In addition, it seems there are…
Winter brings short days, inclement weather, and bleak landscapes. Plants die, dropping their withered leaves on barren ground. Sometimes our souls become as stark as leafless trees, or like branches weighted with heavy snow. Have you ever wished for a respite from the daily tasks of caring for an elderly parent? I know that the…
Summer is when nature turns up the heat. Here in the Sacramento Valley, we grow some of the world’s best food. It wouldn’t be possible without the long, hot, summer days. In the caregiving season, the heat is turned up as well. We’re hit with the stark reality that life is changing, and we better…
Autumn colors, leaves falling, daylight savings; these are signs the season has changed from the lazy days of summer. There are signs of the changes in the caregiving season as well. When my father’s health began to decline, I often wondered if aliens had abducted him and replaced him with an old, feeble man. He’d…
In the spring of the caregiving season, denial is our companion. Changes happen so slowly that we don’t realize it until we take look at our loved ones with fresh eyes. It hurts to see them as they’ve become. No longer our invincible heroes, they’re now gray-haired and a little stooped over. They get tired…
