First world problem – I have too much stuff. Too many shoes, way too many clothes, and things in my linen closet I haven’t touched in years. What to do? Purge. Repeat. Purge again. Mike and I are going from a three-bedroom, 2 ½ bath home to one very small bedroom in my mother’s townhome….
“What would you think about moving in with Mom?” my husband asked one recent evening. Before the last syllable died in the ensuing silence, I was already shaking my head from side to side. “No. Nope. No way.” There would be bloodshed. Not mine. A few weeks later, he brought it up again. My 93-year-old…
On Labor Day, I left my doctor’s office and hopped in my car to drive home. My cell phone rang, and I saw it was my mom calling. I answered with my usual cheery, “Hello-o.” Mom’s hitched breathing came through the phone. “What’s wrong?” I demanded, as adrenaline surged from my overworked adrenal gland. “I…
Chronic pain is a ravenous beast. It desires to suck the joy out of our lives. It isn’t satisfied until every bit of life is squeezed from our wheezing, dying frame. It mocks our attempts to hold it at bay with pills and potions. Sometimes after a sharp prick from a needle, it will go…
Webster’s Dictionary defines a caregiver as “A person who cares for someone who is sick or disabled.” A caretaker, by contrast, is “A person who is in charge of the maintenance of a building, estate, etc.” But Webster’s goes on to say, “A person who takes care of another.” When I think of the word…
Hospice services support patients and their caregivers near end-of-life. Hospice is not a “place” – it is a set of specialized services to help patients and families cope with a terminal illness. There is a lot of information out there about hospice, we hope this helps as a stepping stone as you journey through your…
When my son was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of twenty-nine, his wife became his full-time caregiver. She monitored his meds, took him to chemo treatments, and prepared a special diet. When he was hospitalized, she brought healthy food into his room to replace the questionable hospital meals. At home, she helped him…
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 have experienced the sandwich generation – facing challenges I could have never imagined. This is an update to the original article published in 2016. I was my dad’s favorite. I don’t think my brothers will argue with me. He was hard on them, easy on me. That’s my girl is a phrase I heard…
“My mom/dad is driving me crazy! She gets upset over the tiniest thing. She blames me when anything upsets her schedule.” Sound familiar? As a caregiver, you may have said the same thing on more than one occasion. I know I have. If you’re caring for an elderly parent, it’s important to remember they need routine. You may…
