Fading Father, Falling Son I was afraid to call my father this past Father’s Day. Not for any dark, family-secrets reason, or because I was upset with him or he with me. My fear was that the man on the other end of the line would only partly be my father, and would also be [...]
What NOT to Say at an Alzheimer’s Funeral Your friend’s Mom died after some years of living with Alzheimer’s. You know it’s been hard for your friend. So when you go to the funeral, you want to console her. Therefore, you say one of 5 rudest, most insensitive things people say at funerals to the [...]
Caregiver Siblings at War (Again!) After Dad died was when all you kids found out that actually Mom had Alzheimer’s. He’d never let you see how bad she really was. Why knows why? Mistaken sense of loyalty, maybe. In denial, perhaps. Of course, you all hoped maybe she’d get better after the shock of his [...]
What To Do About Taking The Car Keys From Mom Or Dad Many adults feel the same way about their parents driving as they about their teenagers. That feeling is one of heightened anxiety, of waiting anxious moments until they hear the driver has returned home safely. Telling a parent that he or she needs [...]
Why Seniors Need Guidance When Taking Their Medication A recent study shows that 38 million seniors suffer drug complications every year, about 180,000 which are life-threatening. Diagnosing a medication overdose can be complicated as well, as often the harmful effects of taking too much medication or the wrong medication is diagnosed as something else, like [...]
Are You the Boss of Mom and Dad? How much do your aging parents appreciate you raising the subject of them not managing life so well? As much as the cat wants to take a walk with the dog? As much as you want a pet tarantula? Well, let me put in this way. Do [...]
Dementia Sundowning Care Plan So, your Mom has dementia. And, every evening starting at 5.30, she begins sundowning. She cries. She wants her mother. She wants to go home. She wants anything but you, apparently. She’s inconsolable. She weeps. She wails. She paces. She wrings her hands. Or maybe it’s your Dad. He wants to [...]
