Sandwich Generation Faces Caregiving Challenges
Things were hard enough for Jennifer Galluzzo before the pandemic hit. Four years ago, the full-time working mother of three became a full-fledged member of the “sandwich generation” when her father-in-law joined their household in Brewster, N.Y. But things got harder...
Learning The Language Of My Husband’s Parkinson’s
I love languages. I teach Spanish, speak Italian, understand Catalan and read French and Portuguese fairly well. Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that understanding Parkinson’s disease (PD)—and gaining a new understanding of my husband with PD—felt like learning yet...
Does life ever get easier?
Sometimes it’s just one thing after another, for months and then years. How do you make it through? In October, I lost my grandma. She had parkinson’s and dementia and had slowly been deteriorating for the last five to seven years. When she passed, I was...
Knowing art therapy but not knowing art therapy
My sketches were always faint lines in pencil. I loved sketching trees in a wide diversity of their structures. Their trunks solid, firmly rooted with the most beautiful textured surfaces which my pencil would try to recreate on paper. Close hatches, very tight...
Ambiguous Loss and Paradox
Guilt. Stress. Exhaustion. Anger. Sadness. We read these cries for help – these pleas for release – in blogs for caregivers whose spouses have incurable illnesses. We hear these cries loud and clear in our face-to-face support groups as we commiserate,...
On the Job, 24 Hours a Day, 27 Days a Month
Since mid-January, Marjorie has been Bob Dettmer’sround-the-clock caretaker. Bob is fogged in by Alzheimer’s and unsteady from Parkinson’s. Marjorie’s job is called home health aide, but the term does not begin to encompass her duties. She is social...
Caring for my dad full time is tough, but I feel guilty if I don’t: Ask Ellie
Dear Readers: One of the most difficult relationships that readers write to me about — beyond couples’ crises, disaffected children or in-law wars — is that of being the spouse/lover/or adult child who becomes a loved one’s caregiver. Here’s how one caregiver...
Not the future I imagined
My parents are too young to be facing old age. They’ve reached that point of enjoying an empty nest. My brother and I are standing on our own feet, settled into lives of our own. Rather than have to parent (active verb) they can just be parents. My mom and I go...
Psychosis in Parkinson’s
Now we can treat it without making other symptoms worse Half of people with Parkinson’s disease experience hallucinations, paranoia and delusions. Mary O’Hara reports on a new hope. One night without warning, Jay Sagen leapt from his bed and grabbed the quilt, then...
Wearing a hat from hell
I have never written a blog. Don’t quite know what a blog is. The one blog I have read was part of a novel. As far as I can tell blogs are rants. Mental diarrhea spilled on a page for strangers. So, fellow caregivers wearing a hat from hell, do you talk of ending it...
What To Do When Your Parent Says They Want To Die
[W]hat should we do when a parent expresses a wish to die? Listen carefully, experts say. Respond calmly, and be sure to let your loved one take the conversational lead. “The first thing is to be curious,” said Dr. Susan Block, head of the department of psychosocial...From personal need to helping all caregivers
The spark was a family need to stimulate and interest Scott’s father who was suffering with dementia and being cared for by Scott’s mother. His personal family journey led to the creation of a growing company focused on those who care for others. Scott is...
From personal need to helping all caregivers
The spark was a family need to stimulate and interest Scott’s father who was suffering with dementia and being cared for by Scott’s mother. His personal family journey led to the creation of a growing company focused on those who care for others. Scott is...
Intimate Photos of a Family Coping With Parkinson’s
A few years ago, Abby Kraftowitz met Tammy Copeman at an office supply store in Pittsburgh. Kraftowitz was immediately drawn to Copeman’s openness, especially the stories about her mother, Eleanor, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s eight years earlier. Over the...
Anticipatory Grief
In 2009, musician Mat Kearney released a song titled “Closer to Love”. I was pretty sure the first two verses were written exclusively for me: She got the call today One out of the gray And when the smoke cleared It took her breath away She said she didn’t believe...
Are You Sure You Want to Do That? The Decision to Become a Caregiver
When I first told people that my ill father-in-law was coming to live with us the most frequent comment was, “Are you sure you want to do that?” Would I do it again? You bet I would.
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