Black Friday! Cyber Monday! Cyber Week! Cyber Month! It’s official. The holiday shopping season is in full swing. There’s a good chance that you have at least one elderly loved one on your shopping list. What to buy, what to buy. But do you really need to buy? Maybe what you really need to do instead is to give. There is a difference. “Buying” is flipping through a gift catalog and ordering a nut basket (hard for some elderly to eat and digest!) or a flower arrangement (extra work for some elderly to maintain and ultimately dispose of). “Giving” is sacrificing your time and money to hop on a plane or jump in the car to spend time with your elderly loved one during the holiday season. “Buying

In a previous blog post I referenced that today – November 21 – is Kiss a Caregiver Day. Well, when I went back online to find the reference, I found out that Kiss a Caregiver Day was in fact yesterday, November 20! What happened? Apparently another brain malfunction – mine! All those kisses I missed out on…. But no matter, there’s always next year. Although not Kiss a Caregiver Day, today is something even more important – the DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING! I know this day is stressful for a lot of people, but when caregiving and a holiday intersect, the result can be exceedingly stressful (translation: a potential psychotic episode - mine!). So I work really hard to dial back the expectation for

The holidays are just around the corner. In the land of caregiving, this is about the time when the articles and blog posts start popping up about the red flags to look for when you make that annual or semiannual visit to spend time with elderly loved ones. During this holiday visit, you will perhaps eat some turkey, exchange holiday gifts, enjoy the happiness of the season, and --- look for the telltale signs that (fill in the blank) can no longer manage things independently. This is NOT one of those holiday blog posts. I get that if you aren’t able to visit your elderly loved one on a regular basis, it is tough to determine physical and mental changes that may be resulting in real problems

Apparently, November is National Family Caregivers Month, at least according to the Caregiver Action Network. Me bad. I guess I was supposed to know that on November 1! But to be honest, between caregiving, attending a conference to work on my business, maintaining something of a relationship with my significant other, and managing the other aspects of my life, I never knew – or thought to check. But now I know, thanks to an email newsletter I receive from a home care agency. So … I decided I needed to find out more. I went to the Caregiver Action Network website (caregiveraction.org) and, sure enough, there it was in big, bold letters: National Family Caregivers Month. Awesome! I’m all abou