Knife Edge: In a difficult or worrying situation of which the result is very uncertain. Cambridge Dictionary Six years into caregiving for my mother and we are fortunate to be in what I call “The In-Between Place.” By that I mean her health (and mine!) and her mobility issues are steady. We have a routine down that is working, and I am grateful. However, I am always watching … [Read more...]
Parenting Your Parents. I cringe every time I hear this term.
How about “Supporting Your Parents” instead? Google ‘parenting your parents’ and you get about 869,000,000 results in 0.68 seconds. The sources range from venerated publications like Forbes and Kaiser Health News to the Huffington Post. Granted, you must sift through articles about how to be a parent and the danger to children forced to take on the parental role. Bottom … [Read more...]
The Holidays Are Over and Everyone Agrees Mom Needs Help at Home.
But No One Can Agree on Whom to Hire. Even when family members agree on an outcome, like finding someone to help mom stay at home, agreeing on how to make it happen can be painful. Truthfully, it often comes down to money and that is a volatile subject for many families. The first thing family members need to understand is that Medicare does not pay for non-medical home … [Read more...]
GRACE is my word for 2020. What do you do to give yourself grace in your life and as a caregiver?
How can one word change your world? Last year I did not set any New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I chose one word, impact, to use as a touchstone for the year. With intention, I measured the positive impact activities, people and commitments had on my life and, based on that, came to some decisions. I’d be lying if I said these decisions were easy, but I acted. I resigned … [Read more...]
Connect with Your Elder Through Family Stories. A Project for 2020.
Your elder had a full and rich life before becoming a parent and grandparent. Mom and I hosted Christmas Eve this year and it was lovely. Eleven cousins gathered around our table. We reminisced about my grandfather and their grandmother who were siblings. We vowed that this would be the year we got together and made homemade ravioli from the family recipe. The youngest are in … [Read more...]