Sharing wisdom that comes from parenting our parents
I guess you haven’t lived until your mother leaves you an expletive-filled phone message because she doesn’t understand what is happening around her. There are shadowy characters she believes are sneaking into her apartment to rob her of her belongings—belongings she once told me she donated when she downsized to her current residence. Try making …
Continue reading "When Dementia Turns Fear Into Anger: Understanding Agitation as a Caregiver"
There’s a moment in dementia caregiving that no one really prepares you for. Not the diagnosis, not the paperwork, not even the first time you have to explain what a “remote control” is… again. It’s the quieter realization that somewhere along the way, the roles have flipped. You’re no longer just the child. Congratulations, you’ve …
Some days, scrolling through social media feels less like catching up with the world and more like wandering into a middle school cafeteria with no adult supervision. Grown adults—people who presumably manage mortgages, raise children, and operate motor vehicles—sling insults, dodge responsibility, and perform outrage with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for toddlers denied …
Continue reading "Caregiving and the Quiet Discipline of Growing Up"
When people think about caregiving, they often imagine the big, heavy moments: medical appointments, medications, emergencies, end-of-life decisions. What doesn’t get talked about as much are the smaller, quieter skills we develop along the way—the ones that don’t come with instructions but shape us just as deeply. One of those skills is learning how to …
