My aunt’s decline took place over the course of about six weeks. We went from her visiting on...
Category: Occasional Caregiving
So many of us are providing care to someone with an episodic chronic illness, who may not need much or any care between flares. We may be ready to jump in and provide care after surgery or respite care. Caregiving requirements and responsibilities can fluctuate significantly over time.
Does life ever get easier?
Sometimes it's just one thing after another, for months and then years. How do you make it...
It’s okay to skip Christmas
It can be rough to navigate the maze of enforced holiday cheer. Especially if you have a...
Young caregivers put future careers at risk, study shows
One in four Canadians aged 15 to 19 helps someone with challenges resulting from illness,...
The girl I didn’t save
No one ever uses the word dying, even if it’s the correct word to use. We think this denial of the...
Empty space
Moving out of a home and seeing that empty space where you used to always has a sad, beautiful...
Kimberly Williams-Paisley Says Her Mother’s Battle With Alzheimer’s Disease Taught Her to Say ‘Yes’ to Life
Kimberly Williams-Paisley is “busy, busy, busy, ” she says on her one day off in Vancouver. But...
With love, Grandma
I didn’t really realize it was issue. I mean there were signs here and there, but nobody can have...
Protecting seniors from healthcare professionals who commit fraud
Our elderly loved ones can be vulnerable candidates for financial fraud. Those with memory issues...
How Our Relationship Survived When My Partner Got Sick
For my wife, a drive is never just a drive, because she struggles with a set of illnesses that are...
Meet Jack Carlson, The MacGuyver Of Adaptive Bikes
We had a lady that called that was selling the trikes that we sell, and she wanted to get out of...
So Sad Today
I've long been a fan of Heather Havrilesky, so when I saw her interview Melissa Broder, the woman...
Autistic New Yorkers Share Their Stim-Toy Stories With ‘Aftereffect’
After an autistic man's stim toy was mistaken for a gun, with tragic results, NPR's Aftereffects...
The Luck of Kokura
Many people fantasize about running away and leaving it all behind. In this short story by Gary...
Fishhooks
You are forgetful sometimes, but living in purgatory, unremembering what happened five minutes...
My boyfriend died
A few months after we began dating, I found out he was sick. He didn’t look sick then, like he...
Forever: Stories about unbreakable bonds
After coming out as a lesbian, Alison Smith was given a choice: she could be part of her family,...
In Honor of Mother’s Day: Stories about moms
A year after rehab, Jamie Brickhouse is struggling with a relapse as his mother starts to...
What it’s like to have a sister with special-needs, aka Boo-Bear
Ellery and Clare are sisters to Gilly, who has special needs. Gilly has high-needs autism meaning...
‘The community needs to step up’ says caregiver advocate
When Dr. Yona Lunsky's older sister was a toddler, it was recommended that she be placed in an...
This is How You Say Goodbye
Some of us pretend that we’re fine. And maybe we are. We grieve publicly, but mostly privately. It...
Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life?
My older brother, Bill, had lit himself on fire in front of the Veteran’s Hospital where he was...
What does caregiving feel like?
When people talk about overcoming disease or disability to live an incredible life, so often the...
The Condition that Shielded My Grandfather From Heartbreak
By the first week of July, a nurse called and said, Things are progressing. This seemed like...