America needs more caregivers for our rapidly aging population, but we don't provide them with a living wage or adequate workplace protections. Low wages lead to high turnover and poorly trained staff. Stressed out workers come to work sick because they have no health...
Many people put their lives on hold when they first step into a caregiver role. That's fine for short-term caregiving, but putting your life on hold for years or decades means a life unlived. Finding someone that fits into the lifestyle is difficult but not...
Right now there's a major oversight in the programs available through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Their family caregiver program only covers members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or became ill on active duty after September 11,...
So many of us have grandparents who have already passed. We each find different ways to honor their memories. What traditions does your family have to remember your grandparents? My grandparents were so in love. They married at 18 and were together for the rest of...
4 out of 5 seniors suffer from at least one chronic condition, according to AARP. We're here to help our loved ones manage their conditions to they can continue to live a fulfilling life -- so we can, too. As part of our coverage for Grandparent's Day, I'm sharing...
Every year over 500 children in the US are murdered by their parents. In fact, that number is a low estimate. Other organizations say over 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect in 2012. 80% of murdered children are under the age of 7. Half were beaten to death....
Sometimes caregiving has wild ups and downs, but other caregivers face endless days that are the same. I know people mean well, but asking if someone with an incurable disease is feeling better wears on my nerves. Sometimes I find myself wanting to let people know...
People are starting to talk about caregiving. A recent Forbes article highlighted how 40 million family caregivers in the US are putting their own careers on hold to provide unpaid care -- sometimes for decades. As a result these family caregivers could find...
Joy's piece on her experience caring for her mother as she died at home got a huge reaction. Our community members have had dramatically different experiences taking care of someone in their final hours. Here are some of the things they shared: Get help My father did...
The ability to work from home makes so many of our lives easier. Of course, easier isn't the same as easy. 7. Set hours One of the benefits of working from home is being able to have flexible hours. It's great to be able to take an afternoon off to take someone to an...
Most loved their mothers unconditionally, in spite of so much, and others had loved them enough (and often to no avail) to hate them. - Laurel E. Anderson
Millions of people have surgery every year and nearly all of them have a friend or family member helping them through it. If you've been called upon to help someone with a surgery scheduled, here are 9 tips to help you care for them: 9. Know the options Talk to their...
A quarter of people with chronic pain use alcohol for pain relief. Doctors and caregivers have major concerns about the potential for interactions between alcohol and pain medications -- and the potential to develop an addiction. Estimates of addiction among people...
For so many of us, our old life ended when we became a caregiver. What happens when our time as a caregiver ends? My mother just passed away and I'm at a loss. I've been taking care of her for seven years, my life revolved around her. Don't know what to do. - Michelle...
Seven people share their story of loss.
The folks at Quick and Dirty Tips have a treasure trove of knowledge on all sorts of topics. We've gathered together their best advice on how to support caregivers and their loved ones. 3 rules for visiting someone who is ill How to respond to important emails 6 ways...
Caregiving means being exhausted. So, so exhausted. You're being buried alive in paperwork Or worse...you have to manage paperwork online You have to learn everything in an instant While juggling a million tasks Sometimes you just can't catch a break And...
Josh and Chuck Lampert Josh and his father talk about Josh's struggles with mental illness and how his parents supported him through it. Liza Long Liza and her son talk about mental illness and his struggles with rage. Zach and Scott Skiles Scott talks with his son...
Barbra Hendricks Barbra and her son, Brent, talk about losing Brent's sister, Tiffany, to Cystic Fibrosis and what it's like to live with the disorder. Ruth Coker Burks Ruth became family when the AIDS epidemic hit Arkansas and patients were abandoned by their blood...
How Can You Be Mad at Someone Who’s Dying of Cancer? Deesha Philyaw // Full Grown People My Mom. She lived. She died. She’s here. Alx Block // The Caregiver Space Happy New Year? Laura McCullough // The Caregiver Space The Unmothered Ruth Margalit // The New...
Peg Steinberg Peg talks with her son, Dan, about how her children cared for her during her lengthy struggle with cancer. Shasti O'Leary-Soudant Shasti talks about her husband's devotion helped her survive Hodgkin's disease. Doris Cohen Doris tells her daughter, Lisa,...
As I was waiting for a bus in the outer-edges of Brooklyn, a particularly fragrant homeless man steered his wheelchair aggressively into the crowd. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, only to realize he was staking his claim to be first on the bus. There was a moment...
StoryCorps has been collecting oral histories from those affected by memory loss since 2006. Here are 5 of our favorite stories. Charles Jackson Charles was 13 when he became his mother's caregiver after her Alzheimer's diagnosis. He's since been diagnosed with...