To tactfully broach conversations about a loved one’s physical and mental health, experts...
Category: Caring for a Parent
My Parents Got Sick. It Changed How I Thought About My Marriage
Love is never what I think it will be. It's small but spreads wide, surprising me with its...
How to Manage Your Expectations as a Caregiver
As much as she loved her 83-year-old father, 57-year-old Ginny did not love being his primary...
The caregiving trouble with siblings
Vanishing Sibling Syndrome or V.S.S. It is probably NOT something a lot of people talk about when...
Losing a Parent in Your 20s, What I Wish I’d Known.
From diagnosis to death, my dad’s journey was a callously swift nine months. A strange lump in his...
The High-Wire Act of Caregiving and Saving for Retirement
Tara Driver would love to retire before age 70. But it’s not going to be easy. The 51-year-old’s...
You Shouldn’t Have to Take Care of Your Aging Parents on Your Own
"For most older Americans, care will come from unpaid family members or friends, who contributed...
The Magic of the Granny Flat
Since around 2010, the city has been encouraging the development of such accessory dwelling units,...
For The First Time, Traditional Medicare Will Pay To Support Family Caregivers
"for the first time, Medicare will pay doctors and other providers to deliver critical support to...
My Work as an In-Home Caregiver Shouldn’t Be This Hard
Back in 2006, I was working 80 hours a week in two jobs, and taking home about $60,000 a year. But...
An Excellent View of Oblivion
In art, we edit the narrative details to maintain credibility. In life, the universe never doubts...
A loved one’s dementia will break your heart. Don’t let it wreck your finances
It is among a cluster of studies that point to financial problems as a possible warning sign —...
‘I knew the terror of lost time’: how my father’s dementia echoed my own alcoholism
In our different ways, my father and I were both suffering from diseases of forgetfulness. Though...
My father had dementia and I was his caregiver. Here’s what I wish I had known
In 2007, I was suddenly plunged into the role of caregiver for my then 75-year-old father, who had...
With Flowers
I’ve tried to tell this story before. Let me try again. This time with flowers. My mother died on...
The Agony of Putting Your Life on Hold to Care for Your Parents
Randi Schofield tried her best to not dwell on all the ways her life changed, on the pieces of...
I Took Over My Father’s Finances at 25. The Lessons Were Hard-Won.
Six years ago, I took over my father’s finances. ... I was 25 and had just moved in with my...
How to Embalm Yourself Before You’re Dead
Since Mother’s death, I’ve been mothering Dad the way I’ve always wanted to be mothered. I learned...
How to Deal with Irrational Elderly Parents
Some of the approaches for responding to regular aging parents apply to irrational ones too, while...
The Alzheimer’s Crisis in Indian Country
Alzheimer’s is on the rise across all Americans over 65, with one in nine people in that age...
How to Set Boundaries with a Narcissistic Parent
Adult children of narcissists often find independence by separating out and spending limited time...
How Do You Deal With a Narcissistic Aging Parent?
Caring for a loving and grateful aging parent can be overwhelming at times. So, imagine what it’s...
Can I Refuse to Care for an Elderly Parent?
Caring for our parents as they age seems like the obvious way to repay them. Yet, some people ask:...
The Dangers of Caregiver Martyr Syndrome
Do people act as if you're choosing to do all that you do? And choosing to have no time for...