Our live call-in talk show airs at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. PT) tonight! We’re taking your answers to this question: What’s scary about caregiving? (Our show aired last night; you can listen to our show via the player below.)
Call (646) 652-4944 to share during our live show. Or, join our show’s chat room to post your insight. If you’re on Twitter, you can tweet during the show using this...
On Friday, four caregiving experts joined me for a discussion on Your Caregiving Journey on preventing regrets. Our experts included Leann Reynolds, president of Homewatch CareGivers; Suzanne Mintz, CEO of National Family Caregivers Association; Jesse Slome, Director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance; and Bette, who blogs about caring for her mom and her children. You can listen to our show...
This morning, Anna Stookey joined me on Your Caregiving Journey to talk about responsibilities—and how not to take on the ones that aren’t ours. You can listen to our show via the player below.
Dictionary.com define responsible as “answerable or accountable, as for something within one’s power, control, or management.” The key component of this definition, Anna said, is the second...
Our live call-in talk show airs at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. PT) tonight! We’re taking your answers to this question: What advice would you give to a burnt-out caregiver?
Call (646) 652-4944 to share during our live show. Or, join our show’s chat room to post your insight. If you’re on Twitter, you can tweet during the show using this hashtag: #caretalk. And, to thank you for calling in the...
Yesterday on Your Caregiving Journey, we began our new monthly series on dementia care. Claire Day, Vice President of Constituent Services for the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter, joined us to explain what Alzheimer’s is, its warning signs and to answer two questions from a listener. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. (Note: Claire will join us on the...
When we’re children, we sing all the time. We sing songs to learn, to express ourselves, to connect with others.
And, then somehow, as adults, we seem to stop our songs.
Sometimes we stop singing out of embarrassment that others may hear our imperfect key. Other times we stop singing because we decide the song can do without our voice. Many times we stop singing because we decide a tough time is no time for...
On Saturday, Jennifer, who cares for her husband, Paul, joined me for Table Talk. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.
During our conversation, Jennifer spoke about the feeling of camaraderie she feels from reading and sharing with fellow family caregivers. Her comments, as well as a recent post from Kristin, gave me a deeper insight about the power of sharing about a difficult life...
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Holly, who blogs about caring for her husband, Dave, joined me for Table Talk. Holly recently took a weekend trip with girlfriends so I suggested we talk about the trip and how she leaves without taking guilt. You can listen to our show via the player, below.
To help manage her time away, Holly breaks out the trip into three parts: The planning, the trip and the return. For...
You’ll have those days when you want to throw up your hands, scream “I’m Done,” and then just walk out the door, never to return.
You’re done with caregiving.
It could be that the day just became too much of not enough going well. It could be that the day included unhelpful comments from unsupportive family members. Or, it could be that you couldn’t get out and, wow!, did you...
It’s hard to believe my trip ends today; I’ll be home later this afternoon. I left Bette’s house yesterday after a wonderful visit.
I loved staying with Bette and her family. Her house has a wonderful hum from kids, pets and love.
I’ll let Bette tell you more about our four days together. We taped a special edition of Table Talk yesterday morning, which you can watch below.
Our second take...
Posted by
Laura on May 25th, 2011 in
Blogs,
Laura's Blog |
12 comments
My second cousin Isaac coined the phrase “fifty-fifty feelings” this weekend. He’s 9. His family was supposed to come to the wedding, but after a snafu involving lightning and a Delta terminal, they got stranded in Minneapolis. He was crushed. No one, except maybe my Dibi, rocks a dance floor quite like Isaac. But, the upside: He has cousins his age in Minneapolis.
“I have fifty-fifty...
Posted by
Denise on May 1st, 2011 in
Denise's Blog,
Tell Us |
4 comments
I’m so enjoying reading our new members’ profiles. In the profiles, members share their three top concerns as well as their three top wishes. (You can view the profiles of new members by scrolling down and looking to your right under “Members.” Click on a member’s name to be directed to his or her personal page. Then, click on Profile to read more. If you see a member who has a similar...
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Liliana joined me on Table Talk. You can listen to our show via the player, below.
During our show, Liliana, who cares for her mom, shared how she learned to take a break and leave the house without guilt. She also talked about what’s hard now in caregiving: It’s the constant of the same routine that wears.
Liliana also shared very good news: She just learned...
I had two guests this morning on Table Talk: Bette, who cares for her mom, and Marah, Bette’s nine-year-old daughter. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.
When we announced our CareGifters initiative (we raise money to fund caregiving solutions, one family caregiver at a time), Marah said she wanted to help. So, she’s been selling candy, ordered through Hershey’s...
Posted by
Trish on Apr 7th, 2011 in
Trish's Blog |
3 comments
Robert and I had “The Talk.” I was Mean Mommy for a few minutes and it so happened that our talk was the same day he saw the dentist. Might as well get all the icky stuff done in one day!
I’ll admit it. Robert hasn’t seen a dentist in several years.
(I’ll wait a minute for the outcry to die down. . .).
Sorry, okay? I didn’t take Robert to the dentist. It was on my list of things to do but it never got...
One-half of caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia surveyed for a new caregiver study find an equal balance of positive and negative experiences in their caregiving. One-third (33 percent) say their caregiving experience is more positive than negative.
The 2011 report, “Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimer’s or Dementia,” which was presented at a briefing on Capitol Hill today,...
The New York Times published an interesting article last night (“Go Easy on Yourself, A New Wave of Research Shows”). Author Tara Parker-Pope writes that we need more self-compassion, not discipline and will power:
“…Research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion...
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, I answered your questions in a special edition of Table Talk called “Ask Denise.” You can listen to our show via the player below.
During the show, I answered these questions:
What are the three best things caregivers can do for themselves?
Could you define “strength”?
Are “expectations” ever healthy or do they put us in a bad...
Posted by
Karen on Feb 10th, 2011 in
Karen's Blog |
5 comments
I am a coward. I admit it.
I dread dealing with anything legal, or new, or different.
Wednesday, I was finally able to take off long enough to get my brother’s vehicle titles changed into my name so that I can do something with them. I cried on the way to the DMV. It seems like I cry every time I have to deal with closing or ending one more aspect of his life. That’s part of it, of course. . ....
This morning on Table Talk, Bette joined us to talk about managing her guilt, getting through a tough day yesterday and her words of advice for fellow family caregivers. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.
About a year ago (almost to the day), Bette first joined us on Table Talk to talk about her guilt. At that time, Bette left the house for breaks, but guilt always accompanied her....
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Anna Stookey joined me to talk about grief, during and after caregiving. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.
Anna shared an interesting insight about grief: It’s our shift that happens when we see a change in our world. Think about the moment you heard that your caree had just suffered a stroke. Or, the day you learned of your...
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, our happiness expert, joined us to discuss happiness during life’s serious times. When life becomes serious because of a serious illness, we might feel we must always be serious—that laughter and happiness disrespect the seriousness of life. So… how do we embrace happiness during our life’s dark times?
Elizabeth encouraged...
