News
7 Things to Know When a Loved One Enters Hospice Care
Hospice helps. I mean this truly. When a loved one enters hospice, you may be uncertain what to expect and what your continued role in their care may be. The only certainty in life is death. We all deserve to die with dignity. Hospice care provides comfort and support at end of life, which […]
The Legal Documents Caregivers Must Have
So you’re a care partner preparing for the long haul. Hopefully you, your loved one and the rest of the care-partner team are having such conversations early. If so, you’ll be more able to tackle the important — and tough — decisions that need to be made with clear heads, an unbiased lens and an […]
Is There a Difference Between Hospice and Palliative Care?
Hospice and palliative care deliver many of the same services. They both ease pain and suffering from serious conditions. But there’s a significant difference between hospice and palliative care: the expected outcome. Palliative care is delivered when a medical condition, no matter how serious, is not at the moment considered to be life threatening. For example, […]
Dementia is More Than Memory Loss
A few weeks back, Brian wrote here about his recent bout with aphasia. It was a living nightmare. And even though it lasted only a day, his ability to speak, to communicate, a part of his very being, was trapped indefinitely in a box. Could you imagine? You see, many people equate diseases like Brian’s Alzheimer’s […]
Grief Management When a Loved One Enters Hospice
Your elderly mother rests comfortably in her bed upstairs, while a gathering of family members sit crying in the living room downstairs. A hospice nurse has just made her first home visit and administered some medication to quell a nasty coughing fit. Mom’s terminal illness has progressed greatly in recent weeks, and it’s clear to […]
5 Ways to Deal with Caregiver Stress
You stare into the bathroom mirror with your aging mother in the next room calling for breakfast. You don’t like the reflection you see. You’re tired, on edge, and you need to eat, too. You’ve barely had the chance to put in some dry shampoo and brush your hair. You’re feeling caregiver stress … and […]