Elder Care ABC

by Joy Loverde Much of my success as a family caregiver when it comes to aging parents and loved ones has to do with always being willing to address problems head on. In other words… be proactive. If you are the proactive type – good for you. And many people are just the opposite. In [...]

Most of us know how to provide a warm and loving environment for our children.  One of the major sources on which we draw is our own childhood experience.  That which we remember with fondness we try to recreate and that which we remember with something less than total fondness we try to avoid. However, [...]

When I moved into this house 34 years ago, we had a very elderly woman who lived alone across the street from me at the far end of the block.  The neighborhood children referred to her as the “crazy lady” but the adults told me she was perfectly all right – just a bit of [...]

My mother died a few years ago at the age of 93.  She lived alone right up to the end when we finally convinced her it was time to move to an Assisted Living Center but the first of 3 strokes intervened on the day I was taking her to inspect her new home. Over [...]

If you are old enough to be getting ready for the day when your parents can no longer care for themselves, you are old enough to remember the hit television series of the 1970s — The Waltons. That show depicted a time and a culture where our elders were not considered a burden to be [...]

Taking care of elderly parents can be a demanding and sometimes unrewarding task.  It doesn’t make all that much difference whether you have your parents in an assisted living center and feel the pinch of finding the time for frequent visits, or whether you have them at home with you.  The sense of responsibility; the [...]

By Bob Kohut At age 63 when my 30-year-old son comes to me to talk about the ups and downs of his life, I always have something to say.  I have walked a mile in his moccasins as once upon a time I too was 30 years old and went through much of what he [...]

By Joy Loverde An older person’s activities will vary based on interests, mobility, resources and physical limitations. Discuss basic parameters with your aging parents to determine what will work for them. Overcoming barriers (such as finding alternative transportation for someone who no longer drives) can help broaden the possibilities.