Inside Aging Parent Care

The iPad and I

By Carol December 18th, 2011

Tempted to Take a Byte of the Apple

One day in early November, I woke up knowing that I had to have an iPad. And I had to have it right away. Over the years Bill and I have had several opportunities to make a change from our somewhat trusty PC to the other camp. Each time we decided against the switch due to impatience with the idea of learning a new system as well as considerations of economy. We’ve always been able to do whatever we wanted with our PCs. Why fix what ain’t broke, right?

Now several factors converged to influence a different decision. Bill does not enjoy using our laptop, but didn’t always want to fire up the big computer in our downstairs office. I had read Marti Weston’s reports …

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Caregiving and Cleaning the Oven

By Carol December 13th, 2011

The house still smells slightly of smoke this morning. Bill and I were in the middle of paying bills yesterday when we decided to clean the oven. I’m not sure why. Maybe anything seemed preferable to tackling this month’s especially complicated credit card statement.

First there was an intensive search for the stove’s Use and Care Manual. It seemed only to be expected that I could locate all the literature on every large appliance we own except the stove. Eventually, after Bill found the stove’s model number, we tracked down the manual on line and printed it out. The instructions were deceptively simple—close the door, push the “clean” button, set the time and the stove does all the rest.

Bill grabbed the oven shelves while I emptied the warming drawer and wiped out the …

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Mark Your Calendar for the AARP Family Caregiver Forum

By Carol November 22nd, 2011

Here is the link to sign on to the webcast on Dec 1 http://meta.media.qualitytech.com/m/wm/wlj-01/COMP008760SCH1_AARP_Caregiving_Forum.wvx And here is a link to the current website describing the event http://www.aarp.org/relationships/caregiving/info-11-2011/Solutions-ForumThe-Challenges-of-Family-Caregiving-What-Needs-To-Be-Done.html This is an important event for all caregivers who can participate.

The Challenges of Family Caregiving: What Needs to Be Done?

9:00 AM-Noon

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Connect Via Live Webcast

Prominent authors and experts discuss the difficulties faced by millions of family caregivers coping with our health and long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems. They will explore how public policies can more effectively address the needs of caregivers and provide insight on how health care professionals can improve support for family caregivers. Audience participation is encouraged.

Speakers:

Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief, Health Affairs (Moderator)

Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D., FAAN; …

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What is the Caregiver’s Role in an Aging Parent’s Death?

By Carol November 20th, 2011

My dad, Frank, died over a year ago at the age of 91. When he finally came to live in Denver two years before his death, I thought I would be able to help him have a better life, a happier old age. It turned out that the real job was to support him while he moved closer and closer to death.

As the days of his life grew shorter, my confusion multiplied. As much I knew he would die one day, I was caught up in Dad’s insistence that he would live to be “at least” 100. I think it seemed easier to accept this idea than to understand that death was creeping nearer to us with every passing day.

The last days and weeks of Dad’s life were very difficult for all …

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“What If’s” and “If Only’s” in the Aftermath of Caregiving

By Carol November 1st, 2011

Recently one of our readers wrote to us about some of his feelings following the death of his mother. “I am overwhelmed with guilt for not always being a good caregiver – giving in to work stressors, tiredness, other concerns,” he said. “…I go over every detail of caregiving and find the things I believe I did and didn’t do. It is sad as I wanted to do the best for my Mom, but I feel I failed her.”

We’ve talked to a lot of caregivers who feel the same as our reader. Years after his mother’s death, one friend who had spent a couple of hours every day after work with her at her assisted living residence confesses that he feels he didn’t do enough. Now, when Judi, Bill and I look back …

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The iPad and I

Caregiving and Cleaning the Oven

Mark Your Calendar for the AARP Family Caregiver Forum

What is the Caregiver’s Role in an Aging Parent’s Death?

“What If’s” and “If Only’s” in the Aftermath of Caregiving

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