Dad's Back

Like many, I was once presented with the challenge to care for a parent towards the end of their life. I had never considered being in such a place and to be honest, I really didn’t want the job. I stepped up anyway and that’s how I met Dad’s Back.

I built this blog to make sense of a very nonsensical time. In the course of being a caregiver, I often encounter other caregivers. While the details of our experiences vary, we share a core set of values. We are a community, whether we realize it or not.

Thank you for stopping by.

• 
  Learning to Be Quiet
  Engagement of crisis is a behavioral trait that often defines what it is to be a caregiver. While we may be a collection of insecurities on the inside, we willingly  step into uncertain situations. To this day, I am not sure where this intrinsic motivation comes from, but we get things done when a sensible
• 
  Being in Charge of Everything is a Tough Job
  I like control.  I like that sense that I have the ability to change things to suit my desires.  I just wish it were true. Putting Feet on the Ground Once over the initial shock of confronting a caregiving crisis, the cocky youngster in me decided that this should be easy to whip. Such hubris
• 
  Is Tech Leaving Seniors Behind?
  Like many children of a certain era, I was one of the designated channel changers for our family television set. (An early version of the TV remote control.) Jump forward a few years, and I had become the family IT person for programming VCR’s. Then home computing became a reality and I followed that flow
• 
  When the Best You Can Do Is the Best You Can Do
  Caregivers come in all varieties. Industry managers to homebodies, we are a very diverse group. I like to think that this is due to common natural aging processes that prompt a need for care. Old age and infirmity do not discriminate. One of our common traits is our dedication to tasks at hand. Yes, we
• 
  What Follows Is
  Caregiving is a spectrum of events. It would be great if it was just a one-and-done event, but it turns out to be a wee bit more complicated. We are already familiar with the start. That often, defining moment that signifies the start. A sudden onset of illness or otherwise dramatic change in a person’s
• 
  Caregiver Authenticity and Role Modeling
  One of the things that I have found most attractive about caregiving is how I perceive caregivers. When I was first joining the ranks, I discovered that caregivers were of all ages, came from all walks of life, and arose from any cultural background imaginable. They were distinctive in the air of confidence they demonstrated.