Caregiver Corner

If you are supporting a person with dementia or a late-stage chronic disease and are assisting them with eating, consider some of these simple tips that may make a big difference in this important and sometimes challenging task.  ...

Most people hear the word "frail" and think of a person who looks old, thin and weak, but frailty is not about how someone looks, it is about how much reserve they have left. Frailty is your body’s way of signaling that it can’t handle the strain it’s under. While frailty is most common in people over 65, it isn’t inevitable. ...

Caregivers are motivated by love, but over time, feelings can quietly evolve into obligation, guilt and relentless self-criticism. Self-compassion or self-care becomes difficult. We can practice it by asking ourselves, “Would I say the same thing I’m thinking about myself to a dear friend who is exhausted and overwhelmed by caring for a loved one?” ...

Whether your loved one is laying on the guilt or the blame is largely self-imposed. Try to accept the situation and let it go. You can’t change their disease, condition or medical circumstance. If their situation has progressed, requiring a higher level of care, and you are unable to meet their needs safely, it is time to honor the goal of always caring for them and doing your best. This may not mean they remain at home, as you had promised. And that is OK.    ...

A major challenge for caretakers is not only watching their loved one struggle with change and loss as they age but their refusal of support. Proud Lone Wolves aren't afraid of falling or what would happen if they couldn’t call for help. Rather, they fear becoming someone they don’t recognize. They refuse because every aid feels like proof they’ve already lost. ...

Brain changes with dementia are biological. The difficult part is cultural; we have a hard time understanding and accepting these changes. Caring for someone with dementia is navigating the space where executive functions retire and the primitive systems keep marching. ...

I can look back now and recall watching the changes with my own parents and realize that soon, my son will see these changes in us. In this natural cycle of life, how precious and fast the time does go.    ...

A fall won’t land you in a nursing home; rather the inability to get up will. Fall-prevention equipment is ineffective after a fall, and balance training won't help if you can't get up. Can you do it? Test yourself now. ...