Denise on June 25th, 2010

You know this because you’ve probably lived this: Hospitals can be a harsh environment for your caree. A lucid caree can become confused and disoriented hospital patient. A caree with Alzheimer’s can become combative and aggressive during a hospitalization. This week, The New York Times toook an interesting look at the prevalence of hallucinations among [...]

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Denise on January 13th, 2010

You plow through the days, doing your best to stay positive, strong, smiling. But, some days, well, you just find yourself wishing for a pink slip. If only you could just walk away from your caregiving role, you think, life would be so much better. And, worse, the wish to walk weighs heavily on your [...]

Continue reading about Tell Us: When Do You Wish for a Pink Slip?

Denise on November 22nd, 2009

Results of a new study say that your care recipient prefers you as the caregiver over a trained professional. Your care recipient is happiest when a family member provides care. But, you already know that. You know that because of the resistance you receive when you try to bring in professional help. This study was [...]

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Denise on August 16th, 2009

On Thursday, I gave an eldercare presentation to a group of employees at a large corporation based here in Chicago. At the end of the presentation, an attendee asked: “What do I do about my mom? She insists on going to the doctor. A few years ago, she was seeing 24 doctors who all prescribed [...]

Continue reading about Ask Denise: How Do I Deal with the Endless Demands?

Denise on August 7th, 2009

Dear Denise, I came across your website looking for some help for my mother-in-law’s niece, Alice. Alice’s mother, 79, died on May 30, 2009. Now Alice must care for her 85-year-old father. He is very difficult and stubborn and physically hard to handle. He won’t go to the doctor because he says Alice wants the [...]

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Denise on February 3rd, 2009

You count to 10. You pray. You say any and all affirmations those 14 books you’ve bought tell you will work. But, nothing’s working. You and your care recipient are at odds. And, the odd-makers seem to be betting against you. Caregiving is getting the best of you. It might be time to look for [...]

Continue reading about An Extra Pair of Hands May Mean Easier Days

Denise on February 2nd, 2009

When I first started writing about caregiving, I had worked with family caregivers in home health care settings (linking family caregivers to respite services) and in nursing homes (helping them admit their care recipient to the facility). But, I had never provided direct hands-on care. When the opportunity to work as a private-duty caregiver for [...]

Continue reading about Rather Than Fight, Be Flexible

Denise on January 31st, 2009

Dear Denise, I believe divine guidance led me to your website. I plan to register for the course. My frustration is that I cannot get my mother on a schedule in order to take her medications. She wants to sleep until noon and then be awake all night. She is suffering from post herpetic neuralgia since [...]

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Denise on January 25th, 2009

You’ve finally decided the time has come: You need help in your caregiving role; you’d like to hire a home health aide to help with your care recipient’s personal care. With your job, your kids, your spouse and your other commitments, you’ve discovered it’s just impossible to do it all yourself. Amazingly, it’s a relief [...]

Continue reading about My Care Recipient Won’t Cooperate