Category Archives: Uncategorized

One friend’s book about his faith struggle with a terminal illness and his initial refusal to seek medical care reminded me that not everyone needing a caregiver is a willing patient. Even those who seek medical treatment sometimes refuse to follow the medical directions given. Then there is the small cluster of Alzheimer’s patients whoContinue reading “Use Your Secret Weapon”

Illnesses, weddings, and funerals have a way of bringing out the craziness in people, wouldn’t you say? Yet some people are wise enough to use occasions such as these to bring hope and healing into families.    One son whose mother is in the final stages of cancer and now receives Hospice care recently said,Continue reading “Build a Bridge”

One credit card commercial challenges us to think about our finances and ends with the question, “What’s in your wallet?”  Similar to that, metacognition is simply thinking about your thinking; and life will teach you that what’s in your head has a way of determining how you feel and what you do.   When youContinue reading “What’s in Your Head?”

You never signed up for this, did you? The day may come when you feel stuck with all that being a caregiver requires of you. Surely you had other plans – like your own life, right?  But some things just seem to fall into our laps. We may even check the mirror periodically to seeContinue reading “Admit Your Anger”

During a brief period of lucidity in my mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s, she told my sister, “I think my brain is shrinking.” She had also once asked me if I could tell that her mind was going fast. Interestingly enough, our mother had battled depression and mood swings a great portion of her life, soContinue reading “Travel With Them”

Some caregivers may be keeping promises to parents or spouses that they would never “put them away.” That’s a noble intent, and it’s a blessing when you can fulfill such a promise.  However, in spite of our best efforts to stop by my Mom’s more often, stay longer, do more of what was needed, etc.,Continue reading “Moving From Emotion to Reality”

I found that simple statement at the end of a journal entry in the book about my mother’s journey with Alzheimer’s – You learn as you go. Yet we sometimes wish we knew it all upfront, right? And how can we? There are some things that only life’s experience can teach us. Even after mullingContinue reading “You Learn As You Go”

Here in Illinois, we are enjoying temperatures nearing the 60’s. This came after a nearly two-week period last month of freezing weather and repetitive snowstorms. Looking outside now, it’s hard to believe how miserably cold we were or how much snow and ice had recently covered our rooftops, streets, and driveways. However, one caveat toContinue reading “Enjoy the Sunshine”

My family was just discussing how scary the world is becoming. Day after day we hear news of senseless crimes that leave a trail of death or disability in their wake. The mother of an acquaintance I met recently through a friend is now grieving the loss of her son to highway gun violence. NeedlessContinue reading “Reach Out and Touch…”