Tonight, Tell Us: What’s Your Toughest Caregiving Decision?

Your Caregiving Journey airs tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. PT). It’s our live call-in show and tonight we’re taking your answers to this question: What’s the toughest caregiving decision you’ve had to make? Feel free to share your thoughts in comments section, below. We’d also love to hear from you tonight; call (646) 652-4944. Our first caller wins! And, when you...

Webinar Follow-Up: Which Step Will You Take?

Yesterday, during our Super Sunday Open House, I offered a free webinar, Three Steps to Feeling Better. (Miss the webinar? No worries! The archive is available and ready for you here.) I shared three steps which can take you from feeling bad to feeling better. So, I’d love to know: Which step will you take to feel better? Please share in our comments section, below. Related Articles Webinar Follow-Up: When...

In Six Words: What’s It Like to Call for Help in Your Community?

My conversation about the effectiveness of Area Agencies on Aging in helping family caregivers (you can read it here) has got me thinking. And that leads me to a six-word story contest. I’d love to know, in six words, what it’s been like for you when you call agencies and organizations (like the Area Agency on Aging, the Veterans Administration, the Alzheimer’s Association) to get help. You could...

Stepping Into the Caregiving Size that Fits

Anna Stookey joined me yesterday on Your Caregiving Journey for our monthly chat. We discussed the importance of accepting today’s reality so we can wake up tomorrow in a good place. You can listen to our show via the player below. Anna shared a great example of what it’s like when we resist the reality of our today. It’s like how we may feel when we’ve gained weight, she said, and yet we...

What Would You Have Resolved Before Caregiving Began?

In 1998, I sat in my bedroom in my parents’ home and penned The Caregiving Years handbook. Through the handbook, I wanted to share ways to walk the caregiving journey without walking out. More importantly, I wanted the handbook to help family caregivers end the experience without regrets and move into their lives’ next chapter with a motivating sense of purpose. The handbook includes tips for for the...

Everyone is Fine

This is the follow up to my post “Holidaze” Dad is back in his facility and resting comfortably. No specific caused found his seizure but we’ll be making the rounds of the Dr’s in the days and weeks to come. I learned that the original seizure occurred in the shower so I’m feel blessed that Dad didn’t get injured in there. I need to buy flowers for the staff. When I returned from...

Holidaze

“How was your holiday?” everyone has been asking. I usually answer vaguely, “It was interesting…” As you know from my last post the Christmas holiday began with my wedding anniversary which meant a trip to the cemetery and commemorating my wife’s death. Dad’s physical state declined to the point that I wondered whether he was going to live through the end of the month....

Tell Us: How Do Keep Your Caree Occupied?

Yesterday, during Table Talk on Your Caregiving Journey, Kristin spoke about her inability to do what she enjoys. She has books to read, words to write, websites to visit… And, yet she can’t. The stress of worrying about Mary and whether Mary is safe becomes her day’s only action. It’s all she can do—think about making sure Mary is okay. The dread of what could happen (Mary wanders...

Encouraging Kristin

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Kristin joined me for Table Talk. You can listen to our show via the player below. Kristin shared how she feels as a burnt-out family caregiver. And, it feels awful! I asked her how we can help her and she said, “Just this. Encourage me.” After you’ve had a chance to listen to the show, please feel free to share your words of encouragement for...

Webinar Follow-Up: When and How Will You Give Yourself a Chance?

Yesterday, I led our free monthly webinar, Give Yourself a Chance in 2012. I encouraged you to keep moving through your day (and your life) by giving yourself a chance. After all, you are most deserving of a chance. (Did you miss the webinar? No worries! It’s archived here.) So, I’d love to know, how and when will you give yourself a chance? Please share in our comments section, below. Updates: Our next webinar...

Letting Go Versus Giving Up

I just saw an interesting quote tweeted on Twitter (thanks to @thehrgoddess for sharing the quote): “There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.” ~ Jessica Hatchigan I love this quote because it recognizes a subtle difference that can change an experience for us. For instance, perhaps you have a family member who just can’t seem to get it together to help you. If you...

Holiday Talk

Last night, we aired our live call-in show on Your Caregiving Journey. Bette updated us on her holiday plans. And both Kathy and Trish called to share; Kathy shared her holiday tip and Trish shared the story of her holiday meltdown. You can listen to our show via the player below. Our call-in shows are fun because you make them that. It’s fun that you call in and it’s great that you join the...

A Holly Day on Table Talk

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Holly, who cares for her husband, joined me for Table Talk. You can listen to our show via the player below. Our conversation today centered on trusting our life, which can seem utterly impossible when life seems too difficult or unfair. Holly shared that her life is better when she trusts, when she surrenders. When life seems tough to her, she’ll ask herself,...

An Early Christmas

I’m looking forward to the Progressive Blog Party this year, especially after days like today. Mom and Dad seemed to push all of my emotional buttons today during my visit with them.  Dad is increasingly tired and now having trouble just sitting up.  He speaks when spoken to but when he opens his eyes there is no sense of recognition.  When asked who I am, he just stares blankly.  He hasn’t spoken...

Show Recap: Your Holiday Worries and Tips

On Tuesday evening, we aired our live call-in episode on Your Caregiving Journey. We asked you to call in and share your answer to this question: What’s your best tip for managing the holidays and caregiving? You can listen to the show via the player, below. We spoke about participating in holiday celebrations when you might not feel up to a party. G-J called in to share her two tips and Bette talked out a...

Your Caree Declines, Your Health Care Costs Increase

Yesterday, at the Gerontological Society of America annual conference in Boston, The National Alliance for Caregiving released its most recent study of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease, Caregiving Costs: Declining Health in the Alzheimer’s Caregiver as Dementia Increases in the Care Recipient. According to the study, a family caregiver’s health decreases over time as their caree’s...

What Change Will Help You?

Last night, we aired our live call-in talk show on Your Caregiving Journey. We tackled this question: What change in the health care system would help you the most? Bette and I shared our thoughts, including a need for better communication between doctors, a need for doctors to be resources to help and support for family caregivers, and a need for customer service in the health care industry. You can listen to our...

Facing Fears By Focusing on Now

On Monday, Anna Stookey joined me on Your Caregiving Journey to talk about facing the fears in caregiving. (You can listen to our show via the player below.) During our conversation, we focused on the big fear: What will happen next? What will the future be like? The fear also may sound like this: Something awful will happen next, I just know it. We spoke about preparing for the future versus panicking about the...

Tell Us: How Do You Start Your Day?

Yesterday, on Your Caregiving Journey, Elizabeth Lombardo, our happiness expert, joined me for a discussion on how to start your day. You can listen to our who via the player below. (You can view Elizabeth on the Today Show by visiting her website.) The inspiration for our show was a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that talked about the importance of setting the right mood for your day in the morning....

Update: What’s Scary About Caregiving?

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...

The Importance of Being Here and Now

For my trip to my brother’s Memorial Service and to support my sister-in-law, niece and nephew, I had packed several sets of casual but nice clothes plus a dark blue suit and tie combo for the actual Service. I had made sure everything was clean, pressed, packed in my garment bag and staged in my bedroom the night before departure… where they remain. Yup, traveled all the way to the airport and was...

The Fears That Bind

Last week, my niece, Sarah, joined me on Your Caregiving Journey to continue our conversation about managing culture shock. When you land into the life of caregiving, it’s a huge culture shock. Sarah shared the coping strategies she learned from living in a small town in Poland for two years. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. In an experience where so much feels and sounds...