CAREGIVERS
Articles
Shopping is a challenge for most caregivers, survey finds Family caregivers perform many different kinds of tasks, but one of the most universal is shopping. Ninety-three percent of caregivers said they shop for their loved ones, according to a survey released this week by AARP. They buy groceries, medications or other household items. – MemoryWell.com
How to Avoid Becoming Isolated as a Caregiver Being uprooted from their former selves over long periods of time can bring isolation and loneliness. And that can have negative physical and mental ramifications for both the caregiver and their loved one. – nextavenue.com
Can A Caregiver Be Too Devoted? Is it possible to be too devoted as a caregiver? And if so, how can a loved one’s help caregivers understand that they need to think about themselves? – nextavenue.com
Caring for the one in the mirror Rosalynn Carter reflects on 30 years of advocacy for family caregivers and why self-care is so essential – memorywell.com
States Seek Financial Relief for Family Caregivers Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide state income tax credits for families that need help with home caregiving. – NYTimes.com
A Guide to Caregiving at Any Stage Whether you’ve just taken on the responsibility of caring for a spouse, parent, family member or friend, or you’ve been doing it for many years, the need for good information and support never ends. – nextavenue.com
Roz Chast’s graphic novel about caregiving in four cartoons In “Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?” Chast chronicles her parents’ move from independence to dependence – MemoryWell.com
There are 40 million caregivers in the US. How can they seem so invisible? There are more than 40 million caregivers in the United States today. So, how is it that they can seem virtually invisible? How can people so essential to others lose their identities? To see what I mean, the next time you see a caregiver, just ask this simple question: “How are you doing?” Whether you’ve just taken on the responsibility of caring for a spouse, parent, family member or friend, or you’ve been doing it for many years, the need for good information and support never ends. – MemoryWell.com
A Guide to Caregiving at Any Stage Whether you’ve just taken on the responsibility of caring for a spouse, parent, family member or friend, or you’ve been doing it for many years, the need for good information and support never ends. – NextAvenue
A Home-Mate Is Not A Caretaker (But Can Make a Difference) A home-mate is a person who shares the home and has an independent life. While home-mates may help each other out, it is a reciprocal relationship where each gives and receives. – sharinghousing.com
When Is It Time to Find Long-Term Care for a Spouse or Partner? For better or worse, in sickness and health, whether we officially make those vows or they gradually become part of our lives, there are few times this sentiment is as harshly tested as when a spouse or partner is diagnosed with a life-altering or life-ending illness.- Next Avenue
Caregiving for spouses 
and partners Changes in the physical, mental or emotional health of a spouse or partner can have a profound effect on relationships. This can include one partner taking on the role of caregiver of the other. – Michigan State University
Family Caregiver: Building Your Care Partner Team It is far too easy to think as a spouse (or primary family caregiver) facing caregiving … “I can do it all” or “I have to do it all”. – transitionagingparents.com
The Amazing Alternative to Nursing Home Placement If you are a family caregiver of an aging loved one with increasing physical and mental decline, you may be getting close to a tipping point, not sure how much longer you can meet those increasing needs. – transitionagingparents.com
Caring for a Loved One with Dementia in a Rural Area Growing older and managing illness and disease in a rural setting comes with its own challenges related to finding care.— Samada.com
More Caregivers Are No Spring Chickens Themselves Gail Schwartz wants to keep her 85-year-old husband out of a nursing home as long as she can, but it isn’t easy.— The New York Times
Taking Care | PBS NewsHour Many videos and articles are available. – PBS
3 Mantras Every Caregiver Needs It’s a good idea to remember that no matter how much planning you do, there’s no substitute for experience. Research is important but it’s overrated as a predictor of success.— Anne Tumlinson, Daughterhood.org
Soaring Numbers of Adult Children Caring For Aging Parents In 1994, only 3 percent of men and 9 percent of women helped provide basic care for a parent. Fifteen years later, 17 percent of men and 28 percent of women provided such care.— Nancy Rhine, MS, LMFT, CPG
Blogs
Books
The Reluctant Caregiver: Missives from the Caregiving Minefields by Joy Johnston One moment, digital journalist Joy Johnston is a cynical workaholic with an underwater mortgage. The next moment, she faces the responsibility of caring for her eccentric mother who’s battling colon cancer, just six months after her father’s death from Alzheimer’s. As an only child, she has no choice but to slap on the latex gloves, and get to know more about her mother — and herself — than she ever imagined possible. The road from reluctance to resilience is bumpy and splattered with bodily fluids, but it also offers unforgettable lessons. Who knew you could learn how to change a colostomy bag on YouTube, or that hospice nurses like telling dirty jokes? Peppered with snarky humor, vivid observations, and poignant honesty, this essay collection will resonate with anyone drafted into a family health crisis.
Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents — and Ourselves by Jane Gross The longtime New York Times expert on the subject of elderly care and the founder of the New Old Age blog shares her frustrating, heartbreaking, enlightening, and ultimately redemptive journey, providing us along the way with valuable information that she wishes she had known earlier.