Category Archives: Caregiving
It Won’t Be Much, But in Some Cases Caregivers Can Get Paid
Senior woman with her caregiverThe estimates vary between 66 and 70 million, when it comes to the number of people in the United States serving as unpaid caregivers for family members with disabilities. The good news is that in some instances, these overworked and stressed out people may at least be able to get… Read More »
AARP Brings New Attention To Role, Plight Of Caregivers
senior woman with home caregiverCalling them an “invisible army of 40 million heroes,” the editors of the American Association of Retired Persons Bulletin in November squarely placed the focus on these unseen caregivers. In an editorial that accompanied “Caregiving in America 2015,” statistics from a recent report conducted by the AARP and the National… Read More »
Caregivers Can Use Checklist For Loved One’s Legal Affairs
Caregivers have so very many responsibilities toward their loved ones, but some may not realize that keeping track of their legal affairs is almost on a par with watching out for their physical health, a recent article on the website of the AARP points out. “The ultimate goal is to make sure you have… Read More »
Devices Make It Easier To Monitor Mom And Dad’s Activities
When adult children live far from their older parents, they’re likely worried about how active mom or dad is being. As the saying increasingly goes, there’s an app for that. “Technology is making it easier for us to monitor our loved ones,” according to a recent story in The Washington Post by Matt McFarland…. Read More »
Caregiving: Stress, Yes, But Also ‘Joy And Enrichment’
There are two sides to the coin of becoming a caregiver for an aging parent, something more and more people are discovering. http://gty.im/138345651 On the one hand, almost everyone would expect this to be enormously stressful, both physically and emotionally. But on the other hand, as pointed out in a recent article on the… Read More »
Advice On Making Right Choice For Help With Elderly Care
The cost of hiring someone to help care for an elderly relative has remained fairly steady in recent years, according to a recent item in The New York Times. http://gty.im/173807843 It’s still about $19 an hour for a hired homemaker, someone takes care of things like cooking and cleaning. A home health aide, who… Read More »
Act Would Recognize Sacrifices Of Caregivers
Although it would appear, in this political day and age, to have much chance of passage, a New York congresswoman showed some real courage in the summer when she introduced the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act. http://gty.im/103022754 The measure, if passed, would offer some small attempt to make whole wage earners who forego income… Read More »
Difficult Discussion On Dying Can Be Helped By Web Resources
Almost nobody wants to have “The Conversation.” (Photo credit: jaded one) Talking to an older relative, whether it’s a mother, father or sibling, or a friend about death is a burdensome task most people put off until, of course, it’s too late to have anything at all to discuss. It’s probably at that point… Read More »
Elderly Self-Neglect Up To Others To Notice
The question is not if but when. It is inevitable that as people get older, at some point they will no longer be able to take care of themselves. By then, however, the individual is in no position to be the judge of needing help, and the difficult decision of stepping in must fall… Read More »
Caregivers Need Care Themselves
The emotional and sometimes physical stress of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia is intense. (Photo credit: British Red Cross.) A recent blog on The New York Times by Jane E. Brody highlights a book by San Jose, Calif., psychologist Judith L. London that focuses on… Read More »