We know being a family caregiver can be overwhelming, especially when constantly reacting to the day-to-day caregiving tasks and demands. An effective way to help address this and also free up time for family caregivers to meet their personal needs is by creating a family caregiving plan. See suggestions to develop an effective plan that will help family caregivers deliver the highest quality of care and free up time to experience their joy activities...

If you have been fortunate, there are people in your life that have been a wonderful presence. Yet, more times than not, in our hectic lives, it is easy to think it but just not take that extra step to let that special person know.
Learn a few steps you can take to ensure you don’t build your personal connection bridge a couple of inches short...

When I was a kid and my parents were telling me to do something or letting me know their intolerance for more discussion on a matter was running thin, they would sternly say just please do it and I don’t want to hear any ifs, ands or buts about it! Hey gang, sound familiar?

Find out, when used effectively, how the word but can become a positive planning and communication tool for you...

Family caregivers are the first line of support for their loved ones. In 2021, this effort translated to a societal benefit of $600B of free services that relieve our government of a large financial responsibility.
This is an amazing statistic, but what can easily get lost is who is supporting the health needs of our family caregiver.
Read the 5 effective self-care practices that ensure family caregivers health and well-being is a priority...

The world of a family caregiver is filled with demands, tasks, messages, feedback, opinions and a lot of oversight. All this, combined with all the other information flowing in and out of our lives daily are ideal conditions for us to hear more than listen. See if this is happening to you and some straight-forward steps to become an effective active listener...

As family caregivers we can become worn down by guilt. Unfortunately, the type of guilt I am talking about can be the outcome of unhealthy personal stories, which deliver an unrealistic view of our reaction to circumstances we face. Learn about the difference between health and unhealthy guilt and the change in perspective you can use to help create a more personally empowering and healthy personal story...

Joan Lunden is a familiar face to millions of Americans, thanks in large part to her 20-year career co-hosting Good Morning America. Joan was one of the first journalists to address women’s health issues; and since her departure from ABC in 1997, she has remained an active advocate for women using her celebrity to bring a voice to those that are voiceless.

With all the advice family caregivers are given, the desire and initiative to ask for help should be on top of the list. Caregiving is not a responsibility you can effectively handle alone without some support and or respite for an extended period of time. Read how to take account of your current responsibilities and needs and begin developing your Village/Community that can help support you...

One thing is certain, we are all getting older. Unfortunately, sometimes age and health issues contribute to an elderly parent no longer being a safe driver. Learn what to look for and the most effective discussion approaches to make this difficult time a win-win for all…

To develop a positive action, we must develop a positive vision… Dalai Lama
Said another way…See it. Believe it. Act it. Achieve it!

As family caregivers, nowhere is this mindset and discipline more important than when setting personal boundaries, the limits we set for ourselves concerning what we do and do not accept or tolerate from others. However, to me the pivotal limit is what we accept and don't accept for our own personal boundary behavior.

The first time I read about developing personal boundaries my feelings were very mixed. Immediately, I felt they were designed to put a wall around me so others would know what was unacceptable to me. In other words, if you wanted to seriously engage with me, you had to play by my rules. So, initially I equated personal boundaries with selfishness; not being sensitive to the feelings of others.
Needless to say, after learning a lot more about personal boundaries I can say with complete certainty my initial instincts were very wrong!

For many family caregivers, the thought of taking a caregiving timeout for their personal needs, and self-care is a foreign concept. For family caregivers few things are more important than giving yourself the gift of personal timeouts or me-time during your day. Take a look at 4 simple words to help you feel the everyday benefits of taking personal timeouts...

As a family caregiver it might just be your most important role.

An advocate is defined as, “One that supports or promotes the interests of another.” Given this definition, as a family caregiver, you are the ultimate health advocate, because you are constantly supporting the health interests of your loved one. Acting as a health advocate doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges. Here are a few key tips to put you on the right path...

During my 20 years as an active family caregiver, there have been many periods I have absolutely felt like I am “living in a constant state of alert”! Constantly vigilant, always looking for hints alerting me to pay more attention to my loved one’s health, observing every detail and projecting the “what-if “possibilities for many of the observations. The good news is with this mindset and behavior you are ready to address most health issues when and if they happen.

Ok, before I even get going, I have realized over the years that many of the scenes we have watched in Western and Action movies showing people being swallowed up by quicksand or being pulled out just in the nick of time—well, let’s just say, that’s not really how quicksand works. That said, I am hopeful you’ll give me some creative latitude, and besides…I really like the title!

During the holidays many families gather and celebrate together. This is often a time when you see family members you haven’t seen in a while, which can be both wonderful and startling, especially if an older member is not acting like themselves. They are more forgetful, maybe somewhat aloof or a bit confused.

Like most kids growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I played a lot of sports. After school. On weekends. In the rain. In the snow. Even in the dark. Over nearly 20 years of playing organized sports, I must have had at least ten coaches tell my teammates and me, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” However, family caregivers need to learn to put a capital “I” in caregiving — and keep it there...

As a family caregiver, turbulence is inevitable, even on days when the skies look clear. And, even though we understand that upset comes with the territory, it is still incredible how unsettling it is when it happens. I came to realize that flying above the turbulence wasn’t about ascending above the clouds in search of calmer air, it’s about knowing that even when I’m under duress, I can always find calmer air by controlling my thoughts to better navigate my circumstances...

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

When I first read this quote, I wrote it off as no more than a nice message that belonged on a Hallmark card. But when I came across it again a week or so later, I started to think about it more and more. As family caregivers, we can all recall times that we’ve felt swallowed alive by an unexpected rainstorm, a storm that sapped our energy or stopped life dead in its tracks. It’s easy to blame the storm for altering our plans, to throw up our hands and cede control even is the storm is pending and not quite here...

In baseball, being able to hit a curveball separates “the good” from “the great.” The curve may not boast the same speed as a fastball, but from the time it leaves the pitcher’s hand, its path can be unpredictable, with the goal of leaving the batter off-balance and instilling a sense of uncertainty about what is to come next. Doesn't this sound like family caregiving? Like baseball hitters, family caregivers don’t always know what’s going to be thrown at them, but they need to be prepared for anything...