By Debbie Swanson for Next Avenue When a friend or family member is knee-deep in caring for a loved one, a common gesture is to drop off a casserole, or…
How to Have Difficult Conversations with Your Aging Parents
By Catherine Hodder for Next Avenue (This article is an excerpt from Estate Planning for the Sandwich Generation: How to Help Your Parents and Protect Your Kids by Catherine Hodder.)…
What Not to Say to Someone Having a Health Crisis
By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell for Next Avenue I recently underwent a months-long health challenge and lost 65 pounds in a year. When I was still struggling with the health challenge and…
Broken Heart Syndrome: Illness After Loss
By Amy Florian for Next Avenue Much ink has been spilled about George H.W. Bush becoming seriously ill after the death of his wife of 73 years, Barbara. Similarly, the…
Losing My Dad
With the death of her father, this writer discovers a different kind of grief By Jill Smolowe for Next Avenue It happened again this morning. I’d just finished a task…
I Didn’t Miss My Mother — Until She Was Gone
On my occasional weekends away from home, I missed my view of the Hudson River, the varying shades and moods of the water outside my window. I missed my cats.…
When Your Parent Doesn’t Know He Has Dementia
By Emily Gurnon for Next Avenue Both of Kathy Kling’s parents, who are divorced, have Alzheimer’s. Kling recently talked with her mother, Karen Kelly, about her father’s disease. “Oh, I…
The Dementia That Is Often Misdiagnosed
By Kevyn Burger for Next Avenue Marriage problems take many couples by surprise. But Deborah Dolan was caught particularly unaware when her husband Todd began to distance himself from her.…
Americans with Alzheimer’s Now Number 5.7 Million
By Beth Baker for Next Avenue The estimated number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has risen to 5.7 million, from 5.5 million in 2017, according to a…
Tell Your Doctor What’s on Your Bucket List
By Grace Birnstengel for Next Avenue Your doctor can’t read your mind. A doctor assumes everyone wants to live and continue to live the best, healthiest, happiest life possible —…