What are your thoughts on the spouse of an early-onset Alzheimer’s patient dating while said...
Category: For Friends & Family
Real world advice for how to support the caregiver in your life.
The Autism Mom: Why Is She Like That?
The Autism Mom is an infamous villain in the autistic community. We are outraged that she wants to...
How One Rural Town Without a Pharmacy Is Crowdsourcing to Get Meds
The building that once housed the last drugstore in this town of fewer than 600 is now a barbecue...
Caregivers are Over Your Toxic Positivity
I stopped buying into the veneer of toxic positivity once I became the primary caregiver to my...
Don’t Tell a Caregiver to Stay Positive. Here’s How to Help Instead
My husband had been in the hospital, critically ill, for weeks one day when I broke down in tears...
Emma Dowling examines the mantras of self-care and what they tell us about our anxieties
As the care crisis intensifies, we are repeatedly urged to take care of ourselves. Ubiquitous,...
My dad has Alzheimer’s, but I’m more worried about his caregiver: my mom
Young-onset Alzheimer's is when someone is diagnosed before the age of 65. With young-onset,...
A Deep Dive into Deep Kindness: What It Really Means to Be Kind
One of the most dangerous narratives we have in our culture currently is this idea that kindness...
On Becoming Friends With a Non-Disabled Person
It helps to be friendly, considering that I’m stared at almost everywhere I go. I was born with...
What’s “dirty” self-care, and why doesn’t it work?
the self-care we're currently engaging in is mostly a consumerized one predicated on attaining...
At 82, My Grandmother Has Lost Her Husband — And The World As She Knows It
The disarray and social upheaval caused by the virus took a life event that’s already fraught for...
How to Talk to a Friend Whose Posts Have You Worried
Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, a lot of people were talking more honestly about their...
I Loved Planning My Queer, Disability-Friendly Wedding — But It Wasn’t Easy
When we recapped our thoughts about the venue later in the car, we both disappointedly took the...
But I meant well!
One of the things I hear all the time is that people's friends and family just don't understand...
The Four States of Distress: how to comfort someone when something bad happens to them
When a friend or loved one has something bad happen to them, what should you do to help them feel...
Ancient Greek Temples Had Ramps For People With Disabilities 2,500 Years Ago
When we live in a world that isn't open to people who can't walk up steps, we're forced to choose...
The Perks of Roommates With a 50-Year Age Difference
From their first conversation, Nellie Goodwin knew that she and Sarah would make great roommates....
He was a Covid-19 patient. She cleaned his hospital room. Their unexpected bond saved his life
This is the situation in every hospital, long before covid-19 caused visitors to be restricted. As...
Struggle for Peace
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written my blog. Part of the reason is that things have been...
5 Things I Wish My Friends Knew About My Life as a Caregiver
It was 2003. I had just turned 16, and that was the summer my mom was diagnosed with ovarian...
How to Help Comfort a Loved One During a Hospital Stay
Follow these tips to make their hospital stay as easy as possible.
Why Black women are aging alone
“Gains in life expectancy don’t mean living more years disease-free,” says Brown, noting that many...
Helping is Making Me Feel Helpless
Have you ever felt helpless trying to help a loved one? We know the stories: the alcoholic...
Is There a Medical Cure for Loneliness?
Every day it seems scientists discover more ways in which loneliness can attack our bodies and...