It’s May, a month the reminds me of my mother, who was born on May 16, and of caregiving, an endeavor that I first did for my late mother, who I tended during her long illness when I was a young woman. May, which, to me, is also a month of hope, spring flowers, and…
The movie, The Notebook, tells the story of a love affair that is retold day after day by a loving husband to his wife with dementia. Comedian Jay Leno is the primary caregiver of his wife, Mavis, who has dementia, and he says he sometimes connects with her through jokes that resonate with their shared past…
Fatigue. It hits all of us. As caregivers, our minds whir with so many things to do and worries to manage that we often have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up rested. This lack of sleep may not only make us groggy and grumpy during the day, but our concentration, memory, and…
The challenges of caregiving are many, but the life of a caregiver can also be filled with many joys. An elderly woman recently died after years of dementia and other health issues. Her husband had been her main caregiver, and, despite the difficulties they encountered, their love and connection remained strong throughout her years of…
January is a common time when people commit to something new, but it’s also a time when people drop those same commitments often before the month is over. It’s a rare human that can keep a New Year’s resolution, and yet a resolution and the New Year can be full of possibility. We might dream…
The holiday season with its emphasis on light, ranging from Christmas tree lights to candles for Channukah and Kwanzaa, can be a reminder to look for the light in our lives. As a caregiver, sometimes we are so busy that the light in our lives can get lost, but the light is always there. By…
Best-laid plans can go awry. Two sisters whose 90-year-old mother had mild dementia thought that an assisted living facility might be the best place for her. Near one sister’s home, they found a great place with lots of social opportunities and activities, which they hoped would help slow the dementia’s progress. They toured the place,…
Autumn with its cooler weather and falling leaves is a reminder that life is full of changes. But those same seasonal changes also bring familiar routines, ranging from pulling out sweaters and heavier coats to decorating for the holidays. This combination of change and familiarity is also part of caregiving. A loved one’s medical condition…
Arts and crafts can be an easy way to enhance the lives of both caregivers and their loved ones. Creative activities activate parts of the brain that enhance memory and problem-solving skills, which can reduce cognitive decline. As people focus their energies on an artistic task, levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop while happiness…
Being a caregiver is hard, but being the patient can be even harder. A friend learned that herself last month when a CT scan found a 15-pound tumor that had been misdiagnosed as an innocuous condition. It was soon removed in a seven-hour surgery, and luckily found to be not cancerous. However, the surgery also…