I’m thirsty for friends. It’s embarrassing. I’m far too old to be courting acquaintances like some...
Category: For Friends & Family
Real world advice for how to support the caregiver in your life.
Saving Friends: What I’ve Learned from Insufferable Patients
How we conceive of autonomy, goodness, and justice (or their absence) serves as a fulcrum to...
It’s time to embrace community care & let go of individualistic self-care
Everyone loves self-care these days… including billionaires, wealthy celebrities, corporations,...
Disability needs a new story
Disability typically is understood as the problem of a selected group of individuals who meet a...
What I’ve learned being reliant on a caregiver
My family and I worked hard to find a set of four private pay caregivers to supplement the care...
‘We can’t even get basic care done’
Becoming a healthcare assistant (HCA) was a straightforward process. It consisted of several...
What happens when a family caregiver needs caregiving?
Research into caregiving reveals a common sequence of events: caregivers often get depressed,...
How a Sprawling Hospital Chain Ignited Its Own Staffing Crisis
At a hospital in a Chicago suburb last winter, there were so few nurses that psychiatric patients...
Space to Breathe
I am so good at clearing my son’s airway that I am like Sam-I-Am in Green Eggs and Ham. I can...
Who Will Care for ‘Kinless’ Seniors?
When her sister died three years ago, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered...
Labor Department Crackdown On Caregiver Industry Uncovers Widespread Violations
Federal officials said they’ve conducted over 1,600 investigations since announcing the crackdown...
The care economy collapse: There is no care system, so what is it?
Domestic and care workers make it possible for the rest of the economy to run. Yet they are an...
Broad Political Support for Policies to Help Family Caregivers
People in America agree: Action is needed to support family caregivers. The John A. Hartford...
Care Tactics
While the press applauds the tech sector’s forward-thinking and sensitivity to the needs of...
Sex and disability
Scarleteen has a fantastic collection of articles on sex and disability. While I typically only...
When I Have Dementia
“I hope you’ll still laugh at my jokes when I have dementia,” I said to my husband Ryan on an...
Sizing Up the Decisions of Older Adults
Adult Protective Services agencies in every state receive reports of possible neglect,...
The weight of caring at home
"I wrote/drew this opinion piece for the LA Times two years ago, right before COVID drastically...
How to Coordinate a Parent’s Care With Siblings
When it becomes clear that an aging parent needs caregiving, it’s uncharted territory for adult...
When siblings become caregivers
All of Marlene’s children live within an hour of her Michigan home, yet Sheila, who lives the...
My partner died. Then my brother. Here’s what not to say to someone who is grieving
We are hardwired to say these things when someone dies because otherwise, it would be too much....
They Helped Free Britney. Now They Want Justice
Aside from Spears’ battles in court — and the one raging among fans — some #FreeBritney folks are...
Friend to healthcare worker
I am currently helping friends with their severely disabled child. The child needs round-the-clock...
The high cost of living in a disabling world
The turn of the millennium was marked by a litany of good intentions and disavowals of unequal...