Guilt In Caregiving: Guest Blog By Petra Mortimer
It is Sunday morning, and my friends invited me to go out for brunch. It has been a long, tiring week and I was looking forward to the change of scenery. However, I should be visiting my mother who lives in a nursing home an hour away from me. I find myself facing a dilemma.…
Read MoreWhen Caregiving Feels Like a Chore: Guest Blog By Petra Mortimer
Being a caregiver for a loved one is a very personal journey. We might start off with different motivations, with some of us having volunteered to care for a loved one and others who did not have much choice in the matter. Whatever the circumstances, I would argue that we all strive to do our…
Read MoreWhose Fault Is Violence In Dementia? How To Decrease Their Aggression And Your Stress Level
A big stressor while caring for someone who has dementia is when that person becomes verbally or physically aggressive. Both professional and family caregivers find this unexpected, scary and extremely stressful. But frequently when a person with dementia becomes violent it is actually our fault. While it may feel uncomfortable to cast blame on a…
Read MoreThe Stress of Covid-19 Policies And Breaking Promises
Most people don’t make promises with the plan to ever break them. But with good intentions, many caregivers often make promises to their older loved ones that are difficult, if not impossible, to keep. Such promises include statements like: I will never…put you in a nursing home. I will never…let strangers take care of you.…
Read MoreWho “Owes” You, Working Caregivers?
Working caregivers often describe feeling like they are walking a tightrope. Managing a career, planning their own financial future while balancing the needs of kids and older loved ones is overwhelming for even the most organized person. In order to survive, working caregivers must become comfortable with the concept of asking for help. Often when…
Read MoreWhat Makes You Good At Your Job Can Help Make Caregiving Easier For You
If you’re like many working caregivers, you feel confident and successful on the job but less so regarding helping out with your older or disabled loved one. But even though caregiving can feel like foreign territory, working caregivers often find that the business skills they use everyday can be applied to caregiving. Here are 3…
Read MorePracticing What You Teach: We are family members just like you! Guest Blog By Jenerations Speaker Stephanie Goldstein, BSW, LBSW
As an associate speaker for Jenerations Health and a practicing Care Manager, I provide education & resources on addressing concerns and questions for professionals and family caregivers. There is no cookie cutter answer when working with humans, but I strive to provide realistic solutions and resources while meeting people where they are in their journeys.…
Read MoreDementia Caregiving As A Young Adult By Guest Blogger Resia Cooper
Almost six years ago, I lost my father due to complications from dementia. Also, six years ago, my journey as a caregiver came to an end. It’s common for family caregivers to feel overlooked, alone, misunderstood, burned out, and confused. I would be the first to say I felt every one of those emotions and…
Read MoreYou Don’t Have To Spend A Day At The Spa
Frequently when I tell family caregivers that they need to engage in better self-care they roll their eyes. “Yeah, right. Who has time for that?” they often say. But self-care does not need to be a day at the spa or a full-blown vacation. It does not necessarily require extensive planning or lots of money…
Read MoreMental Health Needs to Be a Priority Guest Blog By Author Dawn Rasmussen
It is hard to believe that we are coming up on the year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought social isolation, fear, just a multitude of emotions. But as I sit here and think back over the last year, the one thing that really stands out to me is the mental health of…
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