When you care for someone day in and day out, “Of course I can” can become your default answer before you even check in with yourself. You stay late, skip meals, cancel plans, and tell yourself you will rest when things “calm down.” The trouble is, caregiving rarely calms down on its own. And without setting boundaries as a caregiver, you eventually end up running on fumes, resentful, or both.
Insights and Tips for Enhancing Care at Home
How to Tell if Your Aging Parent’s Care Needs Have Changed This Year
When you think back over the last year, you probably remember the big moments: birthdays, holidays, doctor visits, maybe even a hospital stay. But the most important changes in an aging parent’s life often don’t show up in photos or on the calendar. They’re in the details you only notice when you slow down and really look at an aging parent’s care needs and how they may have changed.
What You Need to Know About Medicare and In-Home Recovery Support
Some health situations come with a clear path. A prescription, a few days of rest, and you’re on the mend. But when recovery doesn’t follow a straight line, or when a health event shakes up daily life, suddenly, everything feels uncertain. If someone you care about is struggling after a hospitalization, surgery, or worsening chronic condition and you’re looking for in-home recovery support, you might be asking, What now? Can…
Finding the Balance Between Safety and Preserving a Loved One’s Independence
Caregiving is often framed as a selfless act—and it is. But it’s also a balancing act, especially when it comes to preserving a loved one’s independence. You want to make sure they’re safe. You want to relieve their burdens. But if you’re not careful, that well-meaning support can quietly become overprotection. When everything is done for a person, it can leave them feeling unnecessary or invisible. Even though your intentions…
Breaking Through Misconceptions About Home Care
Mom used to tackle housework and cooking like a pro—whipping up family favorites, keeping every corner spotless, and somehow making it all look easy. But now, things have changed. The vacuum feels heavier, laundry piles up faster, and cooking complex meals has turned into a draining chore. You’ve suggested getting a little help, but she shuts the idea down immediately. Where’s the resistance coming from? For many older adults, misconceptions…
End-of-Life Nutrition Challenges and How to Shift the Focus to Comfort
As your loved one approaches the end of life, you may find that each moment spent with them takes on new significance. One of the more challenging changes you might witness is their declining interest in food and drink. It can be painful to watch someone you care about go through end-of-life nutrition challenges, especially when it feels like you’re unable to help. Understanding why these changes happen and focusing…
How to Overcome the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health in Aging Parents
Mental health awareness is crucial at every stage of life, but it takes on added significance as our parents grow older. For many older adults, discussing mental health can be particularly challenging due to deep-seated stigmas and the values they were raised with. It’s important to understand why older loved ones are often reluctant to talk about mental health, and recognizing the signs that they might be struggling can help…
Older Adults and Substance Abuse: Could Your Parent Be at Risk?
Safe and Effective Tips for Lifting a Senior
Taking care of an older family member often means that you’ll be helping them move around the house, getting in and out of chairs and the bed, or even going to and from the bathroom. Handling these tasks incorrectly can pose a significant risk of injury to both you and the person you love, making it vitally important to know proper techniques for lifting a senior.
Staying Active to Manage Parkinson’s Symptoms
It’s beneficial for any older adult to stay active as they age, but especially for those with Parkinson’s, exercise could have a great impact on managing Parkinson’s symptoms. Several studies are uncovering direct links between physical exercise and Parkinson’s symptom management. In the largest clinical study to date, patients who exercised no less than 2½ hours per week gained a greater total wellbeing compared to those who refrained from physical…