Caregiving Tips

A financial advisor manages investments. A daily money manager (DMM) is someone who comes to the home once or twice a month to handle the mundane aspects of personal finances: Paying monthly bills (but your loved one signs the checks). Balancing the checkbook. Navigating health insurance claims. Resolving billing errors. Tracking donations. Organizing paperwork. Gathering…

Have you lost a loved one this past year? Or perhaps years have gone by, but grief is still poignant. As you reflect on a relative who has passed on, you might consider new ways to honor them. Ritual is a helpful way to transform a lifetime bond so that your once-vital connection is sustained…

Is your loved one forgetting appointments? Repeating stories? Struggling with tasks that once seemed easy? It’s natural that you fear dementia. But don’t assume the worst. Many factors affect brain function. Your relative’s condition may not be permanent. Some causes of what seems like dementia can be treated or improved once identified. What exactly is…

A surprising number of conditions, from simple to serious, can contribute to an older adult falling. If you observed the fall or arrived soon after, find out if your loved one had a warning or felt dizzy beforehand. Any chance they fainted? Was the fall from stumbling on an obstacle? Or more from missing a…

Happiness is in our nature. We are born with the ability to be happy. And then life happens. Our life experiences affect our attitude about happiness. They influence how much we believe we deserve happiness or convince us we don’t deserve it. Especially in stressful situations like caregiving, feelings of happiness can be rare! A…

The signs of needing a pacemaker can be easy to miss at first. You might notice fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, or confusion in your loved one. Or hear them commenting, “I just don’t feel right anymore.” If a slow heart rate (bradycardia) is determined to be the culprit, their doctor will look for a…

When an aging loved one starts making what you consider poor decisions, it’s worrisome. Are they no longer thinking straight? Is this normal aging or something more serious? There are two terms to know when concerns arise about cognition: capacity and competence. Capacity is a medical term. Having capacity means you can understand information, consider…

If you’re providing care for your loved one, you may long for a night to call your own. Better yet, a few days and nights of R&R. Go to bed when you’re ready, sleep deeply, and do what you want all day! A respite break isn’t indulgent, it’s smart. You need frequent, regular opportunities to…

If the person you care for has a problem with memory loss (dementia), you may find that they get agitated about things that don’t make sense. Your long-retired dad, for instance, may wake up in the mornings and insist, “I have to go to work!” It can be confusing for you. And frustrating! Disregarding these…

Anger as an emotion is neither good nor bad. It is a messenger. It can provide energy and motivate you to action. Chances are you have felt angry at some point during your experience of caring for a loved one. It’s normal! However, anger by itself has never solved a problem. The trouble with anger…