Several years ago, I met Claudia, a remarkable caregiver, at a conference in Wisconsin. In the morning, I had spoken about how caregiver fatigue contributes to anger and a multitude of other physical and mental challenges. 

At lunch, Claudia told me...

At an Alzheimer’s caregiving conference, I was inspired when a man named Barney described how he was choosing to live with dementia. 

Barney had become frustrated because he couldn’t find the “Text” key on his computer. He searched and searched and ...

When people suffer from pain, illness, or dementia chronic pain, their world becomes smaller and smaller. They tend to turn inward and focus solely on their own illness, feelings, and needs. Rather than expressing appreciation for everything you do t...

Managing is caregiver stress is difficult even when everything going well, but when you’re caring for someone who is experiencing physical and mental decline, things can go from calm to crises in a heartbeat.  

A few years ago, my husband and wer...

Buddha said, “Holding on to anger and resentment is like drinking poison every day and expecting the other guy to die.” I believe that is a true statement. I also believe that forgiveness can be an effective tool to reduce caregiver stress.  

A c...

It can be hard to fully understand caregiver grief when someone is losing a family member who is old and living with dementia. I was reminded of that recently when Kathy, a dear friend, called to tell me that her mother had suffered a stroke. 

Sh...

Following my husband’s first spinal fusion, Wally, a night nurse at the hospital, proved to me that person-centered care benefits the patient as well as their caregiver. Tubes were going into and coming out of multiple parts of my husband’s body when...

I had never made a connection between sports, caregiving, and how positive affirmations could help build caregiver confidence until I heard Dr. Ivan Joseph speak about his own experience. 

Dr. Joseph went from being a soccer coach at a small univ...

A dear friend, who was an Episcopal priest, proudly displayed a plaque in his office that read, “I refuse to gratify the devil by becoming discouraged.” 

I laughed when I first saw it, but after thinking about it, I realized there is tremendous p...

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, I am struck by the lasting impact he had on the world. Although he’s been gone for decades, his message is still as meaningful and powerful as it was when he led the civil rights movement in the 1950...

Reject Fearful “What If” Thinking

A friend who is caring for her 84-year-old mother told me she’s having difficulty sleeping at night because she’s afraid she won’t have the strength and patience to care for her mother through the end of her life. 

Years ago, I heard a man at a conference sponsored by AARP speak about how his wife’s MS had changed their lives. The disease was robbing her of her ability to walk and perform a multitude of basic self-care tasks.

One evening, as he assisted her in...